Name: Gregor Hildebrandt - Between A and w
Start: 2026-06-03T16:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-08-09T20:00:00+02:00
Location: RUTTKOWSKI;68

Gregor Hildebrandt in Bochum: When Music Becomes Image and Space

With Between A and w, RUTTKOWSKI;68 is presenting an exhibition in Bochum that translates sound, memory, and material into a dense aesthetic experience. Gregor Hildebrandt transforms magnetic tape, audio cassettes, vinyl, and records into paintings, sculptures, and expansive installations that fluctuate between minimal art, nouveau réalisme, and conceptual imagery.

Material as a Storage of Memory

Hildebrandt works with media that are nearly disappearing in the present: cassettes, tape, records, film strips. Their apparent obsolescence makes them particularly potent. In his works, the audible becomes visible, the invisible becomes physical, and the fleeting becomes permanent. The exhibition thus opens up an artistic experience that is not only to be viewed but felt within the space.

Between Music, Pop Culture, and Art History

The title Between A and w refers to an open field of connections: from personal memories to iconic references from music, film, literature, and art history. According to the exhibition text, this network of associations stretches from Astrid and Wolfgang to Anni Albers, from Bowie to Wurlitzer. This is precisely where the strength of Hildebrandt’s work lies: it constructs a subtle imagery from everyday materials, condensing cultural history.

Spatial Effect, Surface, and Quiet Tension

Upon entering the exhibition, visitors encounter not just images, but a carefully composed exhibition atmosphere. The surfaces appear both strict and sensual, clear and vibrating. Magnetic tapes create lines, vinyl takes on a plastic form, and broken records transform into mosaic-like structures. This results in an engagement with the works that reorders the relationship between time, material, and perception.

Curated with a Clear Art Historical Focus

Curated by Gregor Jansen, the presentation emphasizes a precise juxtaposition of form, memory, and media trace. The gallery RUTTKOWSKI;68 in Bochum works with a space that is open to contemporary art, installation, and sculptural formats. Thus, the exhibition fits into a context that not only presents contemporary art but makes it tangible as cultural education.

What Visitors Can Expect

Between A and w promises an exhibition full of quiet intensity: music becomes surface, memory becomes form, everyday objects become art. Those interested in contemporary painting, installation, and material-based art will find a concentrated artistic experience with great intellectual depth. A visit to Bochum is definitely worthwhile, for this exhibition opens the eyes to the poetic power of the medium of storage in space.