"Wild at Heart" by Gustav Sonntag

With the exhibition "Wild at Heart", Gustav Sonntag presents evocative, large-scale paintings that unfold over three floors, taking the audience on an intense journey through urban living environments. His works tell stories of passion, obsession, hope, addiction, and failure – raw, immediate, and full of emotional tension. In cinematically composed image sequences, Sonntag condenses scenes of urban everyday life into multifaceted narratives, where different perspectives become visible simultaneously. His protagonists navigate between ecstasy and disappointment, between unbridled zest for life and resignation. In doing so, the artist deliberately leaves the interpretation to the viewers. The exhibition develops spatially as well as emotionally: While the richness of detail and painterly virtuosity impress on the ground floor, the atmosphere in the basement condenses into dark, almost dizzying scenes. On the upper floor, the works finally open up to quieter, more contemplative moments, where transcendence and lightness gain space. Gustav Sonntag (*1994, Berlin) lives and works in Leipzig. His works have recently been shown in numerous galleries, art fairs, and institutional exhibitions both domestically and internationally. He was awarded the Eb-Dietzsch Art Prize and nominated for the STRABAG Art Award.