Fernissage: Mon 12 May 2025 - 19:30
Art talk: Katharina Arlt (art historian)
in conversation with Holger Siemann
Finissage, reading: Thu 12 June 2025 - 19:00Stories of Holger Siemann and his sheep
Sound: Balog - Weidgesang / Wenn der Hall der Herde bleibt

Holger Siemann has lived with his sheep for years. He knows them, cares for them, names them - and sometimes he slaughters them and eats them. What may seem contradictory at first is, for him, a deep engagement with life, death and respect for animals. Since 2018, he has been capturing his sheep on canvas, not as mere images but as memories.

For Holger Siemann, his Gotland sheep are individuals that need to be cared for and tended. The portraits of his sheep show their peculiarities, poses and colours and preserve their
individuality beyond death. Mostly painted in the typical bust format like a gallery of ancestors, their gaze makes contact with the viewer and creates empathy. They were painted so as not to be forgotten.

In a time when animals are often only seen as factors of production,
Holger Siemann's works are a reminder of the original, respectful relationship between humans and animals.