Kim bartelt

Kim Bartelt is a German contemporary artist whose practice is centred on material reduction, surface sensitivity, and the perceptual limits of painting. Working primarily with paper on linen, she produces highly refined compositions that occupy a space between painting, collage, and object. Bartelt was born in Berlin and initially intended to study architecture before turning to art history in Paris. She subsequently moved to the United States, where she completed a BFA in Fine Arts at Parsons School of Design, New York, in 1998. Following her studies, Bartelt worked painting sets for commercial campaigns. During this period, she began collecting discarded sheets of paper used in production—an encounter that would become foundational to her practice. These salvaged materials, often fragile and translucent, are meticulously layered and affixed to linen, resulting in compositions that appear weightless and spatially ambiguous. Bartelt’s work is defined by a restrained visual language and a near-immaterial handling of surface. Subtle tonal shifts, delicate folds, and the physical properties of paper become primary compositional elements, allowing the works to oscillate between presence and disappearance. Her practice engages with the legacy of post-war abstraction while maintaining a distinctly contemporary sensitivity to materiality and perception.

Since 2003, Bartelt has been based in Berlin. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including in Berlin, London, Milan, and Mexico City.