From November 23 to 24, 2025, two new exhibitions by international artists, Shima Salehi from Finland and Lana Zubović from Croatia, will be on view at Jochen Hempel Art Gallery. The exhibition is part of the residency De/Construction of Painting, as part of the European project CreArt 3.0.

DE/CONSTRUCTION OF PAINTING CONCEPT:

The project De/construction of Painting encourages and addresses contemporary artistic practices within the context of the visual arts center of Eastern Germany, Leipzig, which has transformed into a global hub for the arts with a focus on the painting scene. The former industrial complex Spinnerei in the Plagwitz district spans 10 hectares and has been almost entirely renovated, now serving as the heart of the local and international art scene with 12 galleries, the non-profit art center Halle 14, and around a hundred resident artists. The residency program De/construction of Painting tries to answer the following questions:

• To what extent is the idea of an image/painting still a cultural construct within various dichotomies (Western-Eastern, industrial-post-industrial)?
• How does the media in which the painting is formed correspond to the concepts of representing different realities?
• What is individual in the image/painting and what is symbolic or universal?

Part of this year’s residency program takes place within the EU project CreART 3.0, a European network of medium-sized cities aimed at exchanging experiences and best practices to promote contemporary art through a continuous transnational mobility program for emerging artists, curators, and cultural workers, in order to maximize the economic, social, and cultural contributions that creativity can bring to local communities. As part of the EU project CreART 3.0, 4 residencies will take place in Leipzig in 2024, each lasting 5 weeks, including 2 Croatian and 2 foreign artists from the network of cities.

Project web page: https://residencyleipzig.hdlu.hr/

BROCHURE

 

ABOUT SHIMA´S WORK

“In my series of five mixed-media works created during the residency, I explored how cultural symbols transform when traditions meet and overlap. By combining Persian calligraphy, miniature painting, and ornamental motifs with architectural patterns and visual elements found in Leipzig and Central Europe, I created compositions where Eastern and Western forms dissolve into one another. Using materials such as canvas, an old window frame, acrylic ink, and transparent surfaces, I layered, erased, and reconstructed motifs—including the Greek Key, Renaissance ornamentation, European tile designs, and Persian poetic verses—to highlight the dialogue between different cultural histories. Through this process, I examine how identity is continually reshaped by movement, exchange, and reinterpretation, allowing familiar symbols to appear in new relationships and speak in unexpected ways.”

ABOUT LANA´S WORK:

“In the new series of drawings I created during my residency, I am exploring how images—composed of symbols and signs—emerge from the unconscious mind. These images aim to establish a communication with the conscious mind. This communication is established by engaging with the environment and external systems through the process of creative making.
The reappearance of letters and text as visual motifs is integrated into the artwork. The idea of the body is revisited through a new form of fragmented puppet-like doll mannequins arranged in different positions and scenarios.
By equating the body and letters/text in scale on the paper surface, I imagine a language of comparables in which the opposing symbols and signs can be interpreted with equal significance. Both the body and a letter-symbol serve as signifiers, imbued with meaning and representing the signified.”

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Shima Salehi (b. 1991, Iran) is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Oulu, Finland. Her work explores themes of gender justice, women’s empowerment, and environmental sustainability, blending traditional influences with contemporary techniques. She blends different artistic styles, pushing boundaries to create innovative works that aim to raise awareness and inspire social change. Her creative process is driven by a desire to make an impact and spark meaningful conversations through art.

Lana Zubović (b. 2001, Croatia) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice encompasses printmaking, performance, video, painting, installation, and drawing. She earned a Bachelor’s degree (Baccalaurea) in Printmaking from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 2023, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Fine Art Print (MFA Print) at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin. Her work often explores layered narratives through diverse media, with a particular emphasis on collaboration and conceptual depth. Zubović is the recipient of several awards, including the Rector’s Award in 2022 for the interdisciplinary opera-fairytale Animal Farm, created in collaboration between three academies and the Faculty of Textile Technology. In 2023, she was longlisted for the RDS Visual Art Awards in Dublin, Ireland.

 

Address: Jochen Hempel Art Gallery, Spinnereistrasse 7, Halle 4, Leipzig, Germany.

Opening: November 23 at 2:00 PM.

Opening hours:

November 23: 2-6pm

November 24: 11am-5pm

 

Within the project:

Partners:

Co-funded by:

   

Co-funded by the European Union – CREA-CULT-2023-COOP. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them. [Project number: 101128499]

Project is co-financed by the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.

The views expressed in this announcement are the sole responsibility of HDLU and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.