Standing in front of a Gretscher is to be enchanted. It comes replete with its own vocabulary, a constellation of symbols, characters and seeming allegories that describe a wholly original world that simultaneously reveals a refraction, often subtle sometimes stark, of our own. This language has layered, and found further intricacy over the past decade, but the core abstracted figures have remained totemic, with all the power the word infers. I see travellers, heroes, lovers and the occasional villain. I see gods - minor, apex, and more recently avian, all radiating, in dialogue with, Gretscher's ready, unique thesaurus. From one angle tantalisingly mysterious conversations, from the next, completely identifiable to the human story.  Even the literal titles keep reflecting new interpretation as you turn them over in your mouth. For me his pieces bristle with the unfathomable magic of the Shakespearean canon: at once unparalleled and humanist. His colour, his organic delicacy, his mighty and meek symbols, all smack of an incredible story, of lasting drama.  

words Toby Schmitz

 

 

"At times I am visited by impulses from the depth of the universe that occur to me as emotions. I give a colorful garment to these sensations; sometimes drawing a few lines is enough to make them all of a sudden visible."


"Da besuchen mich Impulse aus den Tiefen des Universums, in Form von Gefühlen. Ich lege diesen Gefühlen dann ein farbiges Gewand an, manchmal reichen schon ein paar Striche und plötzlich sind sie sichtbar."


selected solo exhibitions

2025 THE LIGHT IS ON galeriecoa.com montreal

2024 COSMIC PERSPECTIVES galerie-schemm.de münster

2023 WHEN THE MOON IS SHINING AND IT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY rhodescontemporaryart.com london

2023 MEET AND GREET galerie-schemm.de münster

2022 THE PRESENT IS A GIFT galeriecoa.com montreal

2019 RALPH WOODFORD RESIDENCY byron school of art byron bay australia

2018 THERE IS ENOUGH LIGHT galeriecoa.com montreal

2017   THIS CORNER OF THE ERATH LAUGHS AT ME private art residency sydney chippendale

2014   DEMONS DANCED ON FEATHERS - LEAVES LAUGHED IN THE AIR tischdecke.nl stuttgart

2013   SO BLACK IS BLUE private art residendy berlin mitte

2013   LOUD LIKE NATURE walden-kunstausstellungen berlin

2012   SILENCE IS A RHYTHM TOO   skarltzers contemporary berlin

2011    DEN TITEL HABE ICH VERGESSEN, DIE GEISTER ABER HABEN IHN GEHÖRT

I FORGOT THE TITLE BUT THE SPIRITS HEARD IT skarlitzers contemporary berlin

2010   WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A HUMAN skarlitzers contemporary berlin

2009   STORED MEMORIES   walden-kunstausstellungen berlin

2008   DIE FARBE IST GELB/  THE COLOUR IS YELLOW   supalife kiosk berlin

2007   I HAVE HEARD SHE LOST HER WOODEN ARM   miss hecker berlin


selected group exhibition

2026 EIN TAG AM MEER galerie-schemm.de münster

2025 ART WEEK BERLIN atm gallery berlin

2025 125 Jahre GALERIE SCHEMM galerie-schemm.de münster

2025 Plural Contemporary Art Fair Montreal with galerie c.o.a

2023 ART WEEK BERLIN with atm gallery berlin

2023 LONDON GALLERY WEEKEND with rhodes contemporary art

2023 ART KARLSRUHE with atm gallery

2022 BERLIN ART WEEK with atm gallery berlin

2022 HARDEDGE - CLEARCUT galerie-schemm.de münster

2022 ART KARLSRUHE with atm gallery

2021 JUNG & SCHÖN barlach halle k hamburg

2020 ÉCHAFAUDAGE galeriecoa.com montreal

2020 ALTER EGO unit london gallery london

2020 NEW POSITIONS phyton gallery zürich erlenbach

2019 CHROMA rhodes contemporary art summer group show london

2018 SCOPE ART FAIR MIAMI represented by galerie c.o.a

2018 SULPTURE WALK mullumbimby australia

2017   EAST WEST BERLIN atm gallery berlin

2017   WHAT THE WEEKEND IS GALLERY art union berlin

2016   BLOOM ART FAIR clogne

2016   HAPPY 19 karen gallery australia  

2015   EIN STUDIO FÜNF KÜNSTLER DREI BILDER/  ONE STUDIO FIVE ARTISTS TREE WORKS  

opening "studio hermann hase" berlin

2014   TITEL 172 - PRAHLEREI IST DIE BESTE AUSREDE AUF DEM ACKER kunstquartier bethanien berlin

2013   THE NEW STANDARD neu west berlin berlin

2012   REBELS AHEAD   die kunstagentin cologne

2011    A MOMENTARY STAY AGAINST CONFUSION   horten gallery berlin

2010   3 EXHIBITION   pure evil   london newcastle project space london

2010   SKARLITZERS CONTEMPORARY SHOWCASE   skarlitzers contemporary art & stroke 0.3 berlin

2008   URBAN FEEDBACK   alte markthalle basel

2007   HINTERCONTI GALLERY   hamburg

2006   HINTERCONTI GALLERY   hamburg

2004   EIN FREUND DER FAMILIE 2   reiterkaserne stuttgart

2001   EIN FREUND DER FAMILIE   reiterkaserne stuttgart