When can I see the exhibition Max Frintrop: Imaginary Space?

The exhibition runs from November 6 to December 6, 2026, at Bilker Bunker in Düsseldorf.

Where does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition takes place at Bilker Bunker, Aachener Straße 39, 40223 Düsseldorf.

What are the opening hours of Bilker Bunker during the exhibition?

Regular opening hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 2 PM to 9 PM and Sundays from 2 PM to 6 PM.

Is there a supporting program for the exhibition?

On November 27, 2026, a book presentation with an artist talk by Max Dax and Max Frintrop is announced. Additionally, from November 20 to 22, 2026, a shortcut with works by Yorgos Stamkopoulos will take place.

How long does a visit to the exhibition take?

A fixed duration for the visit is not provided. For viewing large-format and smaller works, sufficient time for an individual tour is recommended.

Is the exhibition barrier-free and are there discounts?

Binding information on accessibility and discounts is currently not available.

Max Frintrop at Bilker Bunker: Abstract Painting Meets Raw Concrete Architecture

Name: Max Frintrop: Imaginary Space
Start: 2026-11-22T14:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-12-06T18:00:00+01:00
Location: Bilker Bunker

Max Frintrop at Bilker Bunker: Abstract Painting Becomes a Spatial Experience

With Imaginary Space, the Bilker Bunker presents from November 6 to December 6, 2026, for the first time a comprehensive solo exhibition by Max Frintrop in his hometown Düsseldorf. The exhibition combines a distinct position of contemporary abstract painting with the unique architecture and materiality of the former bunker.

Color, Movement, and Pigment as Artistic Forces

Max Frintrop, born in 1982 in Oberhausen, lives and works in Düsseldorf. He studied from 2003 to 2009 at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and completed his studies as a master student of Albert Oehlen. In his large-format paintings, he combines color, ink, and pigments into multi-layered image spaces that oscillate between spontaneous gesture and conscious setting.

Frintrop's works do not unfold a static abstraction. Animated lines, condensed color fields, and transparent overlays create a dynamic composition in which foreground and background continuously shift. The painting becomes a trace of a physical process: material, movement, and color leave visible deposits and open up an intense aesthetic experience.

Large Formats and Focused Close-ups

The exhibition brings together large-format works with smaller pieces. This creates a shift between overwhelming spatial impact and concentrated viewing of the works. While the large canvases draw the gaze into expansive, deep spatial image worlds, the smaller formats allow for immediate attention to pigment, ink, paint application, and the fine transitions within the composition.

This juxtaposition sharpens the perspective on Frintrop's working method. His painting moves between gestural abstraction, informal image conception, and a contemporary reflection on perception. Not the depiction of an object is central, but the question of how color and form produce their own imaginary space.

Painting in Dialogue with Concrete and History

The Bilker Bunker is more than a neutral exhibition space. Its massive concrete architecture, the enclosed spaces, and the unmistakable materiality enter into a direct dialogue with Frintrop's painting. Hard architectural structures encounter fluid color movements; the heaviness of concrete meets the visual openness of abstract image worlds.

This constellation creates a special exhibition atmosphere. The works do not appear isolated but as part of a spatial dramaturgy. Light, surface, scale, and distance influence perception and turn the exhibition visit into a physically experienceable art experience.

Art Historical Context and Cultural Education

Frintrop's position exemplifies a current painting that does not understand abstraction as a completed historical art movement. His images connect to the gestural tradition of Informel and the expressive freedom of post-war painting, but translate these impulses into a contemporary language of pigment, materiality, and spatial perception.

The exhibition thus provides a vivid access to central questions of art mediation: How does depth arise without perspective representation? How does an image change its effect through the exhibition space? And how do material, movement, and color influence the aesthetic experience? Imaginary Space invites visitors to explore these questions not only intellectually but directly through seeing.

Conclusion: Abstraction as an Intense Encounter

Visitors can expect an exhibition where contemporary painting, bodily spatial impact, and the history of the Bilker Bunker meet. Max Frintrop's color-intensive image worlds open new perspectives on abstraction and perception. Anyone who wants to experience art as a sensory, spatial, and intellectual experience should visit this exhibition live.