Odem
– Spur, Körper und Existenz

With *Odem*, Galerie Koppelmann is dedicating an exhibition to the work of Peter Gilles that focuses on central aspects of his oeuvre. Peter Gilles (1953–2017) was an exceptional figure in German contemporary art—one of the most consistent and radical artists of his generation. His art was never mere representation, but rather a direct expression of existential experience. The body, material, and states of psychological liminality form the starting point for a body of work that continues to move viewers today with its intensity and consistency.

The exhibition brings together large-format works on paper with the installation *Nephesch* (1986), a key work in his oeuvre. In it, Gilles’s central artistic inquiry into presence, physicality, and what remains of the human being is condensed. The works on paper also continue this exploration: using his own blood, charcoal, organic imprints, and gestural marks, Gilles developed a visual language of great immediacy and existential power.

Odem is part of a broader exploration of Peter Gilles’s work. It is presented in conjunction with the cabinet exhibition “On the Edge of the Volcano: Blood as a Material in Art” at the Kunstmuseum Villa Zanders in Bergisch Gladbach (July 10, 2026 — October 31, 2026), in which Gilles’s work is presented in dialogue with works by Joseph Beuys, Felix Droese, Jenny Holzer, Birgit Kahle, Hermann Nitsch, and Anna Sudermann. Accompanying the exhibition is the publication *Peter Gilles, On the Edge of the Volcano: A Survey of His Work with a Catalog of Actions/Performances*, published by Kettler, Dortmund 2026, edited by Prof. Dr. Hartmut Kraft.

At the exhibition opening at the gallery on Sunday, July 12, 2026, at 12:00 p.m., Prof. Dr. Hartmut Kraft will provide an introduction to the exhibition and present the publication *Peter Gilles, Am Rande des Vulkans*.