DASEINSRÄUME – When Photography and Painting Meet

From November 13 to 15, 2026, three distinct artistic perspectives will come together at the IKIGAI Space in Cologne. Under the title “SPACES OF BEING – Perception · Encounter · Connection,” Petra Baumgart, Andreas Kretzschmar, and Manuel Heywinkel will present their first joint exhibition.

However, this collaboration is not entirely new: Andreas Kretzschmar and Manuel Heywinkel, both premium partners of cam/b®, have already worked together on their respective solo exhibitions, featuring each other as guest photographers. “DASEINSRÄUME” now expands this dialogue. For the first time, a third artistic perspective is added with Petra Baumgart and her paintings.

Three Perspectives - One Joint Exhibition

It is precisely the differences between the three participating artists that form the starting point for the exhibition. Through her paintings, Petra Baumgart brings color, materiality, free forms, and a direct, creative approach to the shared spaces. Her works interact with the photographic perspectives of Andreas Kretzschmar and Manuel Heywinkel.

Kretzschmar works in particular with the effects of black-and-white photography. Shapes, lines, light, and contrasts are reduced and made visibly concentrated. Color recedes, while structure and composition come all the more strongly to the fore.

Heywinkel’s works sometimes move between these two poles. The foundation remains her own photographs, which in some works are supplemented and further developed with the help of artificial intelligence to incorporate painterly elements. In places, color breaks away from the original photograph, intrudes into spaces and surfaces, and alters the perception of the original photographic subject.
This creates a creative bridge between Petra Baumgart’s painting and the more minimalist photographic visual language of Andreas Kretzschmar.

Perception · Encounter · Connection

The exhibition’s subtitle also captures its underlying concept.
“Perception” refers to the different ways of viewing a person, a space, a situation, or a form. “Encounter” arises not only between the three artistic approaches but also between the works and the visitors. “Connection,” finally, emerges where painting and photography, color and black-and-white, reality and artistic transformation converge.

The three artistic approaches are not intended to merge into a single visual language. Their distinctiveness is precisely part of the concept. Works may correspond with one another, contradict each other, or establish new connections when they come together within the exhibition spaces.

The IKIGAI space on Melchiorstraße in Cologne provides a unique setting for this. Across multiple rooms, the works can be arranged in various ways and related to one another. The exhibition thus becomes not merely a presentation of individual works, but a shared spatial experience.

First Joint Exhibition by the Trio

For Baumgart, Kretzschmar, and Heywinkel, “DASEINSRÄUME” is their first joint exhibition in this constellation. For Andreas Kretzschmar and Manuel Heywinkel, it also continues an existing photographic collaboration. Following their mutual guest contributions to each other’s solo exhibitions, their joint approach is now being expanded. Petra Baumgart expands this dialogue to include painting, thereby opening up new possibilities for connecting the different artistic approaches. The exhibition is therefore deliberately not conceived as a juxtaposition of three independent presentations. Rather, the aim is to reveal commonalities, contrasts, and transitions.

An overview of the dates and opening hours:

13.11.2026 | 18:30– 21 Uhr – Vernissage
14.11.2026 | 15:00–21:00 Uhr
15.11.2026 | 15:00–20:00 Uhr

Ort: IKIGAI-Raum Köln, Melchiorstraße 13,50670 Köln

Exhibitors:

Petra Baumgart
Painting
Instagram: @schwartzewelt_artwork
www.schwartzewelt.de

Andreas Kretzschmar
Photography
Instagram: @and.yfotografia

Manuel Heywinkel
Photography
Instagram: @manuel_242neo
www.manuel-heywinkel.com

Cover photo: Manuel Heywinkel
Text: Manuel Heywinkel

You can find curated works by Manuel Heywinkel and Andreas Kretzschmar in our Premium Partner Kollektion.

AI transparency notice: This text was created with the support of AI.