A glimpse from the corner of one's eye reveals a fleeting human presence, gone in an instant like a time-lapse image. This ephemeral perception of the human form lies at the heart of a new exhibition featuring American artist Kylie Manning at Villa Schöningen in Potsdam, Germany. The 42-year-old artist is presenting her large-format paintings in her first institutional solo exhibition in Germany, showcasing works that blend abstract landscapes with subtle suggestions of human bodies.
Manning's paintings are described as "fantastic abstract landscapes" where hints of bodies appear not as fixed forms, but rather as traces of memories and snapshots—what she calls "a dance of light." The exhibition, titled "Traces of the Body," features Manning's work in dialogue with pieces from the Döpfner Collection. Curator Pola van den Hövel selected works by 12 artists spanning five centuries, asking Manning to create a conversation between her contemporary pieces and historical masterworks.
The dialogue includes renowned artists such as Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Jan Brueghel II, Marcel Duchamp, Sigmar Polke, and Marina Abramović. One notable pairing features Lehmbruck's "Kleine Sinnende" (Small Contemplative Figure) from 1910/11 standing in conversation with Manning's work "Cicadas." This cross-temporal artistic dialogue creates what Manning describes as "an unexpected harmony" between past and present.
Manning's creative process is as dynamic as the results themselves. Working without preliminary sketches, she builds her paintings through layers upon layers of mixed media. She combines oil paint with ferments, glittering stone powder, and various pigments, repeatedly sanding down, glazing, and overlaying until an inner luminescence emerges. From this glowing foundation, figures appear and disappear like fleeting presences, embodying the ephemeral nature of human perception.
The artist's personal background deeply influences her work, incorporating the gray, green, and blue tones of Alaska with the yellow-red-orange hues of Mexico. Manning's diverse experiences include working on fishing boats in Alaska and learning to surf in Mexico. After studying in New York, she moved to Leipzig, Germany, where she met artists like Neo Rauch, further enriching her artistic perspective.
"It's wonderful to be back in Germany," Manning says. "Villa Schöningen is a perfect setting that ignites the dialogue between the works. It's an honor to be able to connect with this proud line of predecessors—many of them are among my personal favorites." She particularly notes how the exchange with works by Egon Schiele and Gustave Courbet brings elements of strength, vulnerability, and intimacy into play.
Manning finds Potsdam itself exceptional, noting how "the diffuse, reflective light mirrors the tone of the exhibition and the way the pigment in the paintings transports memories." This connection between place and artistic expression adds another layer to the exhibition's exploration of how we perceive and remember the human form.
The exhibition "Traces of the Body" runs until April 5, 2026, at Villa Schöningen, located at Berliner Str. 86, 14467 Potsdam. The museum is open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with admission priced at 8 euros for adults and 5 euros for reduced tickets.
