Christoph Ruckhäberle – The fourth wall

As director, Ruckhäberle carefully positions his actors wtihin their scenes. They dance, drink, fight or are engaged in intimate conversation. Suddenly, he intervenes. Time is suspended, and in the midst of movement the figures are captured in a painting. The figures have an universal quality, and each work forms a fragment of a larger, unspoken narrative. Ruckhäberle invites you to fill in the missing parts of the story. 

The term ‘the fourth wall’ refers to the invisible or imaginary wall that stands between the actors and the audience. Ruckhäberle’s canvases fulfil this function. You look at the figures, who in turn do not seem to see you. Or do they? The fourth wall crumbles and the immersive space makes you part of the play. The exhibition features around twenty large paintings, ten different types of wallpaper and some forty drawings by the artist.

Large paintings, small works, pen-and-ink drawings and wallpaper. From vivid colours to black and white, Christoph Ruckhäberle’s oeuvre is remarkably diverse. Yet his style is instantly recognisable. In his studio in Leipzig, the German artist paints his figures in bold colours and simplified forms.

He has exhibited at venues including the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, and his work is held in numerous collections across Europe and North America, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Essl Museum in Vienna, and the Drents Museum.