Björn Dahlem

With his sculptures and installations, Björn Dahlem gives a form to cosmic phenomena that lie beyond imagination. Rather than simply representing visual translations of learned expertises, he makes visible the inexplicable, the wonderful, the contradictory in the universe. And without taking scientific modes of representation and accuracy too seriously, Dahlem develops highly complex plastic structures out of everyday materials and objects trouvés that make reference to theories and models from the fields of astronomy, particle physics or quantum mechanics.
Starburst (Supernova Remnant), 2021
Björn Dahlem

Exhibition view
NW9.space, Cologne
Photo: Achim Kukulies

Flat Earth Theory (Deep Impact), 2020
Björn Dahlem

Wood, steel, acrylic glass, mirrors, table lamp, chandelier
180 x 78 x 62 cm

Sonnenstaat (Detecting First Light), 2022
Björn Dahlem

Wood, aluminium, steel, Christmas tree baubles, photolab clock, globe, urchin, coral, dice, varnish
90 x 40 x 20 cm

Sonnenstaat, 2020
Björn Dahlem

Exhibition view Into Space
Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, 2020

Into Space, 2020
Björn Dahlem

Exhibition view
Haus am Waldsee, Berlin

Nuclear Particle from a Strange Star (Sulphur), 2021
Björn Dahlem

Wood, glass bowl, jar, pendulum clock case, maraschino cherries, coral, LED Spotlight
97 x 56 x 30 cm

Club Strangeness (Hubble Ultra Deep Space), 2019
Exhibition view
Galerie Guido W. Baudach
Björn Dahlem
Superstructure (Vortex Flow with Crystal Tree), 2018
Björn Dahlem

Wood, copper, steel, aluminium, glass figure, light bulb, dice, acrylic glass
195 x 65 x 100 cm

Super Vehicle (Alchemia), 2019
Björn Dahlem

E-scooter, wood, towel, mirrors, volumetric flask, Blue Curaçao, lacquer, fluorescents, rug
168 x 84 x 205 cm

Superposition (Quincunx), 2020
Björn Dahlem

Wood, plexiglass, aluminium, gold leaf
70 x 26 x 13 cm

Launch Pad (Oort), 2018
Björn Dahlem

Exhibition view
St. Matthäus-Kirche, Berlin

Launch Pad (Oort), 2018
Björn Dahlem

Exhibition view
St. Matthäus-Kirche, Berlin
Photo: Stefanie Heider

Spalt (Dunkle Energie), 2019
Björn Dahlem

Copper, wood, acrylic glass, expanded metal, mirror, varnish
70 x 35 x 25 cm

Milky Way, 2017
Björn Dahlem

Exhibition view
Centre for International Light Art, Unna
Photo: Frank Vinken

Mond, 2016
Björn Dahlem

Wood, mirrors, light bulbs
Ø 120 cm

Wolke (Virgo Cluster), 2016
Björn Dahlem

Wood, copper, steel, Venus statuette, pool ball, Christmas tree bauble, light bulbs, lacquer
105 x 80 x 60 cm

Mare Lunaris, 2015
Björn Dahlem

Exhibition view
Berlinische Galerie, Museum für moderne Kunst, Berlin

Phasendiagramm (Kristallogie), 2015
Björn Dahlem

Wood, copper, pine cones,
rock crystal, copper sulfate, lacquer
126 x 99 x 25 cm

Orbits of High Velocity Stars, 2014
Exhibition view
Galerie Guido W. Baudach
Björn Dahlem
The Still Expanding Universe, 2013
Björn Dahlem

Wood, copper, steel, clock, light bulb
193 x 120 x 50 cm

Melancholia (Systema Saturnium), 2014
Exhibition view
Galerie Guido W. Baudach
Björn Dahlem
Particle Track (Higgs), 2012
Björn Dahlem

Wood, steel, mineral lickstone, lacquer, stain
82 x 50 x 27 cm

Björn Dahlem

Exhibition view The End of it All
Kunstverein Braunschweig, 2012

The End of it All, 2012
Björn Dahlem

Exhibition view
Kunstverein Braunschweig

Die Theorie des Himmels I – Die Milchstraße, 2010
Björn Dahlem

Exhibition view
KIT – Kunst im Tunnel, Quadriennale 2010, Düsseldorf

Milchstrasse, 2010
Björn Dahlem

Wood, steel, pebble, lacquer
175 x 260 x 40 cm

Die Theorie des Himmels I – Die Milchstraße, 2010
Björn Dahlem

Exhibition view
KIT – Kunst im Tunnel, Quadriennale 2010, Düsseldorf

The Island, 2009
Exhibition view
Galerie Guido W. Baudach
Björn Dahlem
The Island, 2009
Exhibition view
Galerie Guido W. Baudach
Björn Dahlem
Deuterium Attenzione, 2006
Björn Dahlem

Wood, fluorescent light, light bulbs,
rug, polystyrene, fir tree trunks, rustic fence
700 x 600 x 500 cm

Exhibition view Supernova
Domaine Pommery, Champagne, Reims, 2006
Photo: Laurent Montaron/Aurélien Froment

Coma Cluster Heidegger, 2004
Björn Dahlem

Wood, fluorescents, light bulbs
cuckoo clock, carpet, aluminium
1.200 x 1.200 x 450 cm

Exhibition view Utopia Planitia II
Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin, 2004

Strange Attractor, 2004
Björn Dahlem

Wood, polystyrene, fluorescents, pillows
500 x 600 x 350 cm

Exhibition view Utopia Planitia I
FRAC PACA, Marseille, 2007

Schwarzes Loch (Sagittarius A), 2005
Björn Dahlem

Wood, fluorescent light, various found objects
700 x 700 x 1400 cm

Exhibition view Rückkehr ins All
Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, 2005
Photo: Achim Kukulies

born 1974 in Munich
lives and works in Krampnitz near Potsdam

 

1994–2000 Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
2005–06 summer terms guest professorship at Universität der Künste Berlin
2008 guest professorship for experimental urbane and architectural research at Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Nuremberg
2010 guest professorship at Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe (representation for John Bock)
2012–2017 professorship at Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig
since 2017 professorship at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

 


Solo Exhibitions

2021
Starburst (Supernova Remnant), NW9.space, Cologne

2020
Der Wahrheitsraum (Palus Somni), Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna

2019
Club Strangeness (Hubble Ultra Deep Space), Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin

2018
Launch Pad (Oort), St. Matthäus-Kirche, Berlin
The Still Expanding Universe, Kunstverein Wolfenbüttel, Germany
Lux and Lumen (Cosmic Web), Kiyoharu Art Colony / Kiyoharushirakaba Museum, Hokuto, Japan

2017
Nueva Extrañeza, Galería Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid

2016
Magellanic Cloud, Veles i Vent, Valencia, Spain
Mare Lunaris, Hiromi Yoshii Gallery, Tokyo

2015
Mare Lunaris, Berlinische Galerie, Museum für moderne Kunst, Berlin (cat.)
Kosmorama, Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf, Germany

2014
Black Hole (Cygnus X-1), Matadero Contemporary Art Center, Madrid
Orbits of High Velocity Stars, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin

2013
Theatrum Mundi, Hiromi Yoshii, Tokyo
Melancholia (Systema Saturnium), Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin

2012
The End of it All, Kunstverein Braunschweig (cat.), Braunschweig, Germany
Sibirien Forellen Express Teil 3, Henry Butzer & Boris Dahlem, Kunstverein Heppenheim, Germany
Silencio, Oldenburger Kunstverein, Oldenburg, Germany
Strahlen, Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf, Germany

2011
Sibirien Forellen Express 2001, Boris Dahlem & Henry Butzer, Galerie Guido W. Baudach (Charlottenburg), Berlin
Voyager, Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany
The Unknown, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Aus fernen Welten (Focus Imaginarius), Kerstin Engholm Gallery, Vienna

2010
Die Theorie des Himmels III – Focus Imaginarius, Galerie Guido W. Baudach (Charlottenburg), Berlin
Die Theorie des Himmels I – Die Milchstraße, KIT – Kunst im Tunnel, Quadriennale 2010, Düsseldorf, Germany (cat.)
The Magic Mountain, Kunstraum Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Björn Dahlem, Fondazione Morra Greco, Naples, Italy

2009
The Theory of Heaven I - Bright Matter, La Conservera, Murcia, Spain
The Island, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin

2008
The Universe, Hiromi Yoshii, Tokyo
André Butzer / Björn Dahlem, Galería Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid
The Dream Tank, Alison Jacques Gallery, London
Deuterium Stadl, Kerstin Engelhorn Galerie, Vienna

2007
Helle Materie, Magazin4 – Bregenzer Kunstverein, Bregenz, Austria
The Milky Way, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin

2006
The Homunculus Saloon, Kerstin Engelhorn Galerie, Vienna

2005
Strange Attractor, Hiromi Yoshii, Tokyo
Der Nie-Mehr-Morgen-Raum, Galerie Luis Campaña, Cologne, Germany

2004
Solaris, UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles
Utopia Planitia II, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (cat.)
Utopia Planitia I, FRAC Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur, Marseille, France
Lost in Werner, The Modern Institute, Glasgow, United Kingdom

2003
Coma Sculptor, Friedrich Petzel Gallery, New York
Im Krypton, Maschenmode, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Im Zentralkristall, Kabinett für aktuelle Kunst, Bremerhaven, Germany

2002
Betaflor (with Dirk Skreber), Galería Heinrich Ehrhardt / Galería Elba Benitez, Madrid
Orgasmodrom, Galleria Gió Marconi, Milan, Italy
Aua Extrema II, Kerstin Engholm Galerie, Vienna

2001
Club Superspace III, Der Kunstverein, seit 1817, Hamburg (cat.), Germany
Club Superspace II, Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen (cat.), St. Gallen, Schweiz
Club Superspace I, Kunstverein Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Sibirien Forellen Express (with André Butzer), Maschenmode, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin

1999
Club Horror Vacui, Galerie Luis Campaña, Cologne, Germany
Die Shiva-Matrix (with Michel Majerus), Schnitt-Raum, Cologne, Germany
Bermuda, Simultanhalle, Cologne, Germany

1998
Matthias Lahme, thanks for the Neil Tennent Leidenschaft (with Tine Furler), Kunstverein Offenburg, Offenburg, Germany


Selected Group Exhibitions

2022
UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS. An Introduction to Mysteries, Fondazione La Triennale di Milano, Milan

2021
Schnee fällt hinterm Berge, Avlskarl Gallery, Copenhagen
EVER SEEN NEVER SEEN, Akkurat Labs, Berlin
Im Schein der Sterne – Geschichten vom Nachthimmel, Museum Starnberger See, Germany

2020
Into Space – Björn Dahlem, Bertha Fischer, Naum Gabo, Haus am Waldsee, Berlin
Wolken in der zeitgenössischen Kunst – flüchtig – zeichenhaft – bedrohlich, Oldenburger Kunstverein, Germany

Sculpture & Nature, Schloßgut Schwante Sculpture Park, Schwante, Germany
Dark Matter, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin

2019
Adult toys, KWADRAT, Berlin

2018         
Manifestations, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Irony and Idealism, Kunsthalle Münster, Münster, Germany
Lichtkunst Weilheim, Stadt Museum, Weilheim, Germany

2017
Zur See. Werke aus der Sammlung der Kunsthalle Bremerhaven, Städtische Galerie Delmenhorst, Delmenhorst, Germany
IRONY & IDEALISM, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
¡BRIGHT!, Zentrum für Internationale Lichtkunst Unna, Unna, Germany
Drei Farben: Weiss, Galerie Tobias Naehring, Leipzig, Germany
Berlin >>> Nastola, Taarasti Art Centre, Nastola, Finland
The Collectors Home, Avlskarl Gallery, Copenhagen
The Universe and Art – Princess Kaguya, Leonardo da Vinci, TeamLab, Artscience Museum, Singapore
SMALL – an exploration of miniature, Sexauer Gallery, Berlin

2016
DO YOU GET WHAT YOU SEE?, Grieder Contemporary, Zürich, Switzerland
The Universe and Art: Princess Kaguya, Leonardo da Vinci, teamLab, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
Lichtparcours, Braunschweig, Germany
Solid Liquids – internationale Tendenzen der Skulptur in der Gegenwartskunst, Kunsthalle Münster, Münster, Germany

2015
Wie leben? Zukunftsbilder von Malewitsch bis Fujimoto, Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany
Sammlung mit losen Enden - Einsichten und Aussichten, Kunsthaus NRW, Aachen, Germany
Turn of a Century, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
HIMMELwärts - Kunst über den Wolken, Museum Sinclair-Haus, Bad Homburg, Germany
Das Unendliche im Endlichen. Romantik und Gegenwart. Malerei, Zeichnungen, Fotografie und Videos,
Städtische Museen Jena – Kunstsammlung Jena, Jena, Germany
Eppur si muove, Kunst und Technik, ein gemeinsamer Raum, Mudam Luxembourg, Luxembourg (cat.)
Lichtparcours: Auftakt, Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

2014
Outer Space – Der Weltraum zwischen Kunst und Wissenschaft, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn (cat.)
Scheinwerfer, Lichtkunst in Deutschland im 21. Jahrhundert, Teil 2, Kunstmuseum Celle mit Sammlung Robert Simon, Celle, Germany
Object and Environment, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin

2013
Risk Society, MoCA, Taipei, Taiwan
Defining Space, Der Bastei, Cologne, Germany
Fritz Winter. Das Innere der Natur, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart (cat.), Germany
Die gestundete Zeit, Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf, Germany

2012
Bitzer, Dalhem, Hildebrandt, Philara Sammlung Zeigenössischer Kunst, Düsseldorf, Germany
Portfolio 2, Kunsthalle Rostock, Rostock, Germany (cat.)
Wir sind alle Astronauten, Universum Richard Buckminster Fuller im Spiegel zeitgenössischer Kunst, Zeppelin Museum, Friedrichshafen, Germany

2011
Berlin-Klondyke 2011, Art Center, Los Angeles
Mondes Inventés. Mondes Habités, Mudam, Luxembourg
Ars Apokalipsis. Kunst und Kollaps, Kunstverein Kreis Güthersloh, Güthersloh, Germany
Our Magic Hour – How Much Of The World Can We Know?, Yokohama Triennale 2011, Yokohama, Japan
Wir sind alle Astronauten, Universum Richard Buckminster Fuller im Spiegel zeitgenössischer Kunst, Marta Herford, Herford, Germany (cat.)
The Shape Of Things To Come: New Sculpture, The Saatchi Gallery, London (cat.)
Experimental Station. Research And Artistic Phenomena, CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, Móstoles, Madrid (cat.)
Weltraum. Die Kunst und ein Traum, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna (cat.)

2010
originalfunktional, Kunstverein Wiener Art Foundation, Vienna
Take Me To Your Leader! The Great Escape Into Space, The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo (cat.)
Dunkle Materie, Humboldt Umspannwerk, Berlin
FischGrätenMelkStand, Temporäre Kunsthalle Berlin, Berlin (cat.)
Next Generation, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Germany
Hypernatural, Kfz-Werkstatt, Berlin
Open Light in Private Spaces, Biennale für Internationale Lichtkunst Ruhr, Unna, Germany (cat.)
Arrivals and Departures, Mole Vanvitelliana, Ancona, Italy (cat.)
100th Exhibition, Autocenter, Berlin

2009
amor fati, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Germania: New Art from Germany, The Saatchi Gallery, London (cat.)
DAS BLAUE LICHT. Der Hang zum Kristallinen in Kunst und Design, Kunstverein Medienturm, Graz, Austria (cat.)
Stardust, Park De Oude Warande, Tilburg, Netherlands
On A Clear Day I Can See Forever, Bureau Cultuurmakelaar, Tilburg, Netherlands
1999, China Art Objects Galleries / Cottage Home, Los Angeles
Berlin2000, PaceWildenstein, New York (cat.)

2008
Fabricateurs d'espaces, Institut d'art contemporain, Villeurbanne, France
Mare Humorum 1, Hiromi Yoshii, Tokyo
No Illusions, KAI 10 | Raum für Kunst, Düsseldorf, Germany (cat.)
That’s The Way It Is, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin (cat.)
Vertrautes Terrain – Aktuelle Kunst in & über Deutschland, ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe, Germany (cat.)
Paul Thek - In the context of today's contemporary art, Sammlung Falckenberg, Hamburg, Germany (cat.)

2007
Paul Thek - In the context of today's contemporary art, ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe, Germany (cat.)
Made in Germany, Kestnergesellschaft, Hannover, Germany (cat.)
Kommando Calvin Cohn New York, Salon 94, New York
Kommando Friedrich Hölderlin Berlin, Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin (cat.)

2006
Ketzer &  Co. – Montage auf der Achse Brünn-Berlin, Haus der Kunst, Brno, Czech Republic (cat.)
Anstoß Berlin – Kunst macht Welt, Haus am Waldsee, Berlin
Extension Turn 2, Shanghai Eastlink Gallery, Shanghai, China
The Uncertainety of Objects and Ideas, Hirshhorn Museum, Washington (cat.)
Busan Biennale, Busan Museum of Modern Art, Busan, Corea
Berlin goes Zürich, Arndt & Partner, Zurich
Asterism, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City

2005
Der Kunst ihre Räume, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn, Germany
Clarke & McDevitt present, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, Dublin
Lichtkunst aus Kunstlicht, ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe, Germany (cat.)
Printemps de Septembre, Festival of Contemporary Images, Toulouse, France (cat.)
Return to Space, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany (cat.)

2004
Made in Berlin, ArtForum, Berlin (cat.)
Heimweh, Haunch of Venison, London (cat.)
Kommando Pfannenkuchen, Daniel Hug Gallery, Los Angeles
Kommando Friedrich Schiller, Jon Weaver Collection, Detroit, USA
Guido W. Baudach, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Lost in Tomorrow II, Galerie Asbaeck, Copenhagen
Was passiert in meiner Wohnung wenn ich nicht da bin, Wohnzimmer, Berlin

2003
Hands Up, Baby, Hands Up!, Oldenburger Kunstverein, Oldenburg, Germany
Actionbutton, Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin (cat.)
On Stage, Villa Merkel, Galerien der Stadt Internationale, Esslingen, Germany (cat.)
Inaugural Group Show, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles

2002
Tiere 2003, Elternhaus Thomas Palme, Immenstadt, Germany
Friede, Freiheit, Freude, Maschenmode, Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin
Große Kunstausstellung im Pazifik, PAZIFIK, Berlin
On Stage, Kunstverein Hannover, Germany (cat.)
Centre of Attraction, 8th Baltic Triennal for International Art, Vilnius, Lithuania
Come - in, ifa-Wanderausstellung in Kiew (Ukraina), Chiang-Mai (Thailand), New Plymouth (Neuseeland), Hanoi (Vietnam), amongst others (cat.)
hell, neugerriemschneider, Berlin

2001
Viva November, Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg, Germany (cat.)
Szenarien oder der Hang zum Theater, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn, Germany (cat.)
Aua Extrema, Museum Kornelimünster, Aachen, Germany
Zero Gravity, Kunstverein Düsseldorf, Germany (cat.)
Futureland, Museum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach, Germany / Van Bommel Museum, Venlo, Netherlands (cat.)

2000
handiKraft (with John Bock and René Zeh), Auckland Artspace, Auckland, New Zealand
Löcher (with Ralf Berger and Gregor Schneider), Galerie Luis Campaña, Cologne, Germany
Modell, Modell, Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Aachen, Germany (cat.)

1999
CHANGE IS GOOD, Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel, Germany (cat.)
Gift und gute Form (with Isa Genzken and Dirk Skreber), Museum voor moderne Kunst, Arnhem, Netherlands (cat.)

Immanuel Kant – Unresolved Issues
24 November 2023–17 March 2024