Thomas Kilpper
Water on fire

MRK proudly presents a new exhibition by Thomas Kilpper .
Water on fire – wood cuts and watercolor drawings.

The title refers to a burning contemporary issue; water and the struggle for free access to water.
Water on Fire consists of a series of works in different techniques, originally created for the city of Wiesbaden’s annual theme which was water in 2022. In the installation in MRK’s gallery, the power of Kilpper’s large woodcuts combines with the sensitive expression in watercolor drawings, creating a free artistic interpretation of various social and political aspects surrounding the theme of water.

Thomas Kilpper (*1956 in Stuttgart) works with a wide range of media: installation, sculpture, graphics, photography and video. He lives and works in Berlin, where he also runs After the butcher, an exhibition space for contemporary art and social issues. Kilpper’s projects are often site-specific, and he is particularly known for transforming entire floors of empty buildings into printing blocks for woodcuts, and large-format installations. Thomas Kilpper’s artistic and curatorial work engages with history and politics. Research is a fundamental tool of his practice and the result is normally an artistic intervention into politics and history. Kilpper combines a strong conceptual basis with considerable technical skill in making images that have dramatic impact and presence.
His works have been shown all over the world in solo and group exhibitions, to mention a few; 2022 Wasser (Water), Solo Städtische Kunsthalle Wiesbaden, 2021 Politics in Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, KrakowStatecraft, Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Listening to Voices, Center for Contemporary Art FUTURA, Prague, 2020 FEATURES, 10 Perspectives on Berlin, Stadtmuseum Berlin , CUT, Kunsthalle at Munich Townhall, four positions on printmaking. 2018 “The State is Not a Work of Art”, Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn. 2017 “Atlantic Footprints”, Separate exhibition. Haugesund Picture Gallery, Haugesund. 2016 Print Woodcuts from five centuries", group exhibition National Gallery Oslo. 2012 Thomas Kilpper”, solo exhibition Kunsthall Charlottenborg, Copenhagen. 2011 Venice Biennale Danmarks Paviljon group exhibition, Momentum Moss and many more. The artist is represented with works in the collections of among others :Tate Gallery, London,Museum Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, British Library, London, South London Gallery, London, Städtische Sammlung der Stadt Nürnberg . For full CV see the artist’s website

Water as part of everyday life and something we may take for granted. There is clean water from the tap? But unfortunately, water has become a scarce commodity in many places on the globe.
Water that binds together, water transports, water in its liquid form, flowing molecules in an eternal cycle. The same water flows through bodies, land, streams, rivers and oceans. Water evaporates, becomes clouds, then rain that falls and waters the forest, the field. Turns into drinking water and food. Without water no life.
Access to water is under threath in various ways.
Through pollution and overconsumption, with the eternal chemicals that won’t break down, or micro plastics, which can be found everywhere in the earth’s ecosystem today.
Rapid climatchanges creates huge imbalance in the ecosystem, with extreme droughts or catastrophic floods. The fight for control over water creates conflicts. There is a battle for water going on in several places, whether it concerns who will control the power that is extracted from water, or large commercial companies that exploit public water resources to profit from the sale of water.
Activities that have huge consequences for the areas where water profiteers destroy the balance in nature, and threaten the lives of both people and animals.
Nestlé’s water extraction is one of several water scandals globally that have attracted attention in recent years.
In a new series of woodcuts by Thomas Kilpper, the water activists are honored. It`s a hommage to the Individuals who fought, and still fight, for the universal basic right to access to healthy drinking water, and against over exploitation and commercialization of the resource water from multinational companies.

The exhibition in Molde is made possible with generous support from the Arts Council Norway with funds from the guest accommodation scheme for cultural arenas.