Iris Kohlweiss

In her artistic work, Iris Kohlweiss explores the multidimensional dynamics of human perception and its role in the construction of reality. She reveals that the body functions not only as a physical organ of perception, but as a transcendent medium that mediates the interplay between inner states and outer influences.

In doing so, she follows an understanding that echoes through currents in the arts and humanities (for instance phenomenology, or concepts of embodied cognition): the body is not merely a “vessel” of consciousness, but itself a site where perception and world interact. In Kohlweiss’ work this idea becomes sensually tangible. The interplay of movement and mindfulness — nourished by her years of practice in dance and movement techniques — merges with her artistic activity. Her refined bodily awareness flows into every gesture, and her “embodied knowledge” of rhythm and energy lends the images an unmistakable vitality and serenity. Every line and trace of colour seems to possess an inner rhythm reminiscent of flowing movement — a quiet dynamism emerges.

This particular atmosphere is also reflected in the multilayered compositions of her work. Many viewers describe the experience of her pieces as feeling at once archaic and futuristic. It arises from the interplay between a deep-rooted closeness to nature and forward-looking, at times experimental, visual languages. Geometric forms and translucent planes of colour overlap to create complex fields of visual tension that reflect the processual character of perception and experience. Kohlweiss interweaves organic structures with conceptual compositions, creating a profound aesthetic and structural coherence.

A vivid example of this is her series Realm Translation, in which she translates spatial experiences into drawings. Layers of delicate coloured-pencil planes — partly geometric, partly organic — are mirrored across the central axis. This subtle play of colour and form continually opens new perspectives and invites the discovery of the most varied interactions. While Realm Translation deals primarily with spatial experience, in a more recent series Kohlweiss turns her gaze to emotional spaces — in particular to feelings that are named in other cultures but have no direct equivalent in German.