Fifth Edition of the KÖLNER LISTE Ends Successfully

Despite the hot, summer-like temperatures, KÖLNER LISTE art fair drew thousands of visitors from the 19th to the 22nd of April to Xpost Cologne, where 108 exhibitors from Germany and abroad presented an array of contemporary artworks from all fields. Curators, collectors, members of the press, and art lovers alike came out delighted with the successful assortment of exhibitors and their programs, and were able to discover a number of fresh and exciting art works for themselves.

In her welcome speech to this year’s catalogue, Mayor of Cologne Henriette Reker, who visited the KÖLNER LISTE on Saturday, already commended the art fair that is taking place parallel to Art Cologne and which presents newcomers and young talents alongside established positions, and is already looking forward to next year when the fair will return to Cologne as the “Discovery Art Fair”.

This year’s fair also received very good recognition from the press. The Handelsblatt praised the “unique concept” and wrote, “The competitor fair to Art Cologne captivates with art at affordable prices,” while the Kölnische Rundschau emphasized the large and diverse array of offerings at the fair. The Cologne-based magazine choices noted, “as usual, hiding in each corner is something spectacular, experimental, surprising.” And the art newspaper kunst:art described, “in this context, young art often meets young collectors – with a high developmental potential.”

Numerous exhibitors reported good sales and seemed satisfied with the large, generous fair location, as well as with the professional support through the fair. “The fair exceeded my expectations. The mood was super, I received a lot of positive feedback from visitors, secured two gallery contacts, and sold very very well,” summarized a Düsseldorf-based painter Adam Karamanlis in his report on his participation in the fair. The Nordcom Gallery from Estonia was able to place four of the seven works of art brought for the solo show of artist Eugenia Infelicina into good hands. Gallerist Natalia Henkel from ArtConcept Berlin also commented very positively: “A great and easy-to-reach hall awaited us. The opening went really well for me and I am satisfied with my sales. I would come back.”

Whether it’s affordable young art like the “Edition ohne Dom” by Cologne-based artist Danny Fredde, urban art by Eliot the Super, large steel sculptures by artist Volker Kiehn (represented by the DieHO gallery, Magdeburg), wooden artwork by Edvardas Racevicius (represented by the Alte Bäckerei, Greifswald), monochrome canvas works by Münster-based artist Claudia Küster, or the ink on paper works by Hamburg-based artists Gregor Kalus – many works of art changed their owners over the course of the three-day fair. The KÖLNER LISTE Edition specially published in ten prints featuring ten pieces from selected artists also resonated greatly with fair visitors, so that the first prints were already completely sold out on the first day of the fair.

For their next stop, the Discovery Art Fair will be in Frankfurt am Main in early November of this year, where the fair will be taking place for the first time. Galleries, project spaces, and artists can still apply until July 31th to participate in the fair’s premiere in the German banking metropolis.