On May 30, the exhibition “Bitte Schuhe ausziehen” [Please Take Off Your Shoes] featuring works by Juewen Zhang will open at the Goldstein Galerie. Zhang’s large-scale charcoal drawings, sketches, and paintings are marked by a unique form of naturalistic precision. Through keen observation of his surroundings, he creates works that not only reflect reality but also reveal the depth of the materials and the artistic process. The artist draws attention to parts of the body and everyday objects that are often overlooked. In his work, even something as subtle as a hair parting becomes a central, identity-defining motif. With quiet humor and conceptual clarity, Zhang challenges the tradition of classical portraiture, breaking with the centuries-old elevation of the face as the standard for identity and individuality.
The title “Bitte Schuhe ausziehen” refers to Zhang’s deep passion for Vans — “the most beautiful shoes in the world,” as he calls them. Visitors will encounter this shoe in a striking way: an oversized, roughly four-meter-long Vans shoe made of paper literally steps out to meet them. These charcoal-drawn, intricately constructed sculptures appear solid, yet their substance is surprisingly fragile.
Another central body of work is Zhang’s series of Scheitelbilder (parting portraits). These charcoal drawings defy traditional ideas of portraiture; they portray concrete individuals without showing their faces. Zhang achieves remarkable intimacy in these images, despite avoiding the face and shifting the viewer’s focus to what is almost a blind spot — the crown of the head, an area one rarely sees of oneself. In extreme close-up, this becomes the dominant, identity-defining element, filling the entire sheet. Zhang works in reverse: first covering large sheets of paper with charcoal, then meticulously erasing individual hairs with a pointed tool, creating hyperrealistic images. The result — dense, undulating hair rendered through countless fine erasure marks — appears almost photographic.
Juewen Zhang, born in Berlin in 1995, lives and works in Langen and Frankfurt am Main. Since 2019, he has been studying Fine Arts under Heiner Blum at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Offenbach. His work has been exhibited widely — including at documenta fifteen in 2022, as well as more recently at Art Düsseldorf and Kunst Galerie Fürth. His pieces are held in prominent collections, including the Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, the Artothek of the German Bundestag, and the Kolumba Museum in Cologne.
WHERE Goldstein Galerie, Schweizer Str. 84, Frankfurt am Main OPENING Friday, May 30, 2025, 7 PM DATES May 31 – July 12, 2025 OPENING HOURS Thu – Sat, 2 – 6 PM
May 31 – July 12, 2025
On May 30, the exhibition “Bitte Schuhe ausziehen” [Please Take Off Your Shoes] featuring works by Juewen Zhang will open at the Goldstein Galerie. Zhang’s large-scale charcoal drawings, sketches, and paintings are marked by a unique form of naturalistic precision. Through keen observation of his surroundings, he creates works that not only reflect reality but also reveal the depth of the materials and the artistic process. The artist draws attention to parts of the body and everyday objects that are often overlooked. In his work, even something as subtle as a hair parting becomes a central, identity-defining motif. With quiet humor and conceptual clarity, Zhang challenges the tradition of classical portraiture, breaking with the centuries-old elevation of the face as the standard for identity and individuality.
The title “Bitte Schuhe ausziehen” refers to Zhang’s deep passion for Vans — “the most beautiful shoes in the world,” as he calls them. Visitors will encounter this shoe in a striking way: an oversized, roughly four-meter-long Vans shoe made of paper literally steps out to meet them. These charcoal-drawn, intricately constructed sculptures appear solid, yet their substance is surprisingly fragile.
Another central body of work is Zhang’s series of Scheitelbilder (parting portraits). These charcoal drawings defy traditional ideas of portraiture; they portray concrete individuals without showing their faces. Zhang achieves remarkable intimacy in these images, despite avoiding the face and shifting the viewer’s focus to what is almost a blind spot — the crown of the head, an area one rarely sees of oneself. In extreme close-up, this becomes the dominant, identity-defining element, filling the entire sheet. Zhang works in reverse: first covering large sheets of paper with charcoal, then meticulously erasing individual hairs with a pointed tool, creating hyperrealistic images. The result — dense, undulating hair rendered through countless fine erasure marks — appears almost photographic.
Juewen Zhang, born in Berlin in 1995, lives and works in Langen and Frankfurt am Main. Since 2019, he has been studying Fine Arts under Heiner Blum at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Offenbach. His work has been exhibited widely — including at documenta fifteen in 2022, as well as more recently at Art Düsseldorf and Kunst Galerie Fürth. His pieces are held in prominent collections, including the Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, the Artothek of the German Bundestag, and the Kolumba Museum in Cologne.
WHERE Goldstein Galerie, Schweizer Str. 84, Frankfurt am Main
OPENING Friday, May 30, 2025, 7 PM
DATES May 31 – July 12, 2025
OPENING HOURS Thu – Sat, 2 – 6 PM