Sonja Kalb

Biography

Sonja Kalb

Nature. Depth. Balance.

Short Biography

 My painting emerges from the force of nature.
Its chromatic tensions, transitions and organic rhythms form the basis of my gestural and expressive visual language. Through layered, tactile applications of paint, zones of density evolve from which both calm and energy arise.

Although abstract, my works open spatial depth. Layer upon layer creates fields of transparency and concentration where the eye can wander, spaces suspended between tension and balance, movement and stillness.

I understand color as an active force, carrying intensity, resonance and physical presence. The act of painting itself is a bodily experience that inscribes energy into the surface and becomes perceptible to the viewer.

My work stands as a counterpoint to the acceleration and dematerialization of the digital age. It invites the viewer to slow down and to rediscover energy through stillness.

My work is presented internationally in museums, art associations and biennials, including exhibitions in Germany, Italy, Great Britain, France, Japan and South Korea. In long-standing collaboration with established galleries, my paintings are featured in curated exhibitions in dialogue with significant positions in contemporary art.

 Sonja Kalb, 2026

Current & Upcoming

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DAESAN MUSEUM OF ART

Special exhibition judges and excellence award winners
from the 11th Geoje International Art Festival

1 February - 28 February 2026

39 artists will exhibit their works on the theme of Blooming Art

Daesan Museum of Art
Gyeongsangnam-do 294, Yudeon-ri, Daesan-myeon
Chagnwon
KR

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EVERYTHING GOES. THE SMALL FORMAT

2 December 2025 – 13 January 2026

Opening on Tuesday, 2 December 2025, at 6 p.m.
Closing event on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, at 6 p.m.

Opening hours by appointment only, please call 0211 35 64 71
Künstlerverein Malkasten
Jacobistraße 6a
40211 Düsseldorf
DE

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CONTEXT ART MIAMI

1 December - 6 December 2025
VIP Preview 1 December

  • Domenico Ludovico + Roberta Wynwood + Stefan Ullrich + Emma Coyle + Davian Bryan + MST + Yener Torun + Encarna Albert Bosch + Ilič Arnone
  • Sonja Kalb + MR Brianwash + The Connor Brothers + Wei Tan+ Roberta De Mutiis + Romano Lotto

Context Art Miami
Arte Globale Gallery
Stand # Stand A21
USA

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BLOOMING ART
11th Geoje International Art Festival

Haegeumgang Theme Museum, Yukyeong Art Museum
1 October - 25 December 2025

Opening venue: Yu Kyungyeong Art Museum Hall 1,2
Opening date: 14 October 2025 - 5 p.m.

This festival is impressive proof of the unifying power of art – across borders, cultures and creative forms of expression.
395 artists from 60 countries were selected by a 20-member jury. It is a great honour and pleasure for me to be a member of the jury at this year's 11th Geoje International Art Festival.

Haegeumgang Theme Museum / Yukyung Art Museum
Haegeumgang-ro 120,
Nambu-myeon, Geoje
KR

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KUNSTHALLE DÜSSELDORF
25 years VdDK

Opening, 14 March, 6 - 10 pm
Speeches from 19:30

15 March - 25 May 2025

This exhibition is not a retrospective of 181 years of the association's history, but a survey of the current work of VdDK members. It shows their current work and looks ahead to future artistic endeavours. Positions from all artistic genres are presented: Painting, graphic art, sculpture, photography and media art.
Opening hours
Tue-Sun 11am-6pm
Public holidays 11am-6pm

Kunsthalle Düsseldorf
Grabbeplatz 4
40211 Düsseldorf

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10 Jahre Galerie Kellermann
Bardula, Marian, Bijlenga, Victor Bonato, Bernd C. Dietrich, Stephi Friedrich, Rupprecht Geiger, Robbert de Goede, Kurt Grimm, Marcus Jansen, Sonja Kalb, Adolf Luther, Stephan Marienfeld,
Goncalo ´Mabunda, Yoshiyuki Miura, Marcello Morandini, Hannes Mussner, Sacha Nordmeyer, Simon Oud, Fabian Pflleger, Otto Piena, Christoph Pöggeler, Merlin Reichart, Erich Reusch, Babak Saed, Alberto Saka, Bernd Schwarzer, Gérard Stricher, Günther Uecker sowie Zalez

29 September 2023 – 18 November 2023

Galerie Kellermann
Heinrich-Heine-Allee 12
40212 Düsseldorf
DE

Galerie Kellermann (Oberkassel)
Cheruskerstr. 105
40545 Düsseldorf
DE

Works

Key Works
Nature Pure
Nature Pure III
Blooming Nature
Blooming River
Blooming Nature III
Farbenfrohes Island II
Farbenfrohes Island II
Blooming Garden IV
The Light III
Blooming Garden
Blooming Garden II
White Magic of Flowers
Purple Mountains
Tropical Forest II
Magic of Flowers XII
Magic of Flowers III
Jungle
Magic of Flowers X
Geheime Insel IV
Geheime Insel V
Lake III
Iceberg
Blue Mountains
Magic Flowers II
Cherry Blossoms
Icescape II
Icescape III
Rainforest
Virgin Forest
Virgin Forest II
Dynamic Rhythm
Twilight
Polyptychs
Mountains and Sea
Traumland
Aquarius II
Nature Awakens
Rainforest III
Polar Light
Editions

Curriculum Vitae

Awards

2025Achievement Award, Juge Sonja Kalb,11th International Art Festival, Korean Private Museums Association, South Korea
2025Plaque of Appreciation, Judge Sonja Kalb, Chairman of the Jeongeup City Council Park II
2024Encouragement Award, 10th International Art Festival, Int. Culture & Arte Federation, South Korea
2022Voices of Tomorrow Art Award
2020WAA Woman Art Award, Musa International Art Space in cooperation with UNESCO
2019Special Mention for Excellence, London Art Biennial
2018Best Abstract Artwork, Biennial Chianciano

Selected Exhibitions

202525 Jahre VdDK, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, DE
2025Forever Summer 2025, Gallery Arte Globale, London, GB
2025Open Art Code, Palazzo Rosselli del Turco, Florence, IT
2025Kunst-Sommer 2025, Galerie Kellermann, Düsseldorf, DE
2025Happy New Year, Galerie Kellermann, Düsseldorf, DE
2024Language of coexistence, Art, Haegeumgang Theme Museum, Geoje, KR
2024Horizonte - Faszination Landschaft, 30 Jahre Galerie Heidefeld Partner, Krefeld, DE
2024Die Natur, die Luft und die Zeit, Sonja Kalb und Martina Justus, Kunstverein Duisburg, Duisburg, DE
2024Open Art Code Geneva, Artrium Galerie, Geneva, CH
2024Sonja Kalb: Magic of Flowers, Gallery Arte Globale, London, GB
2024Biennale Chianciano, Museo d'Arte di Chianciano, Chianciano Terme, IT
2024Open Art Code, Real Círculo Artístico de Barcelona, Barcelona, SP
2024Beyond Landscape, Galerie Kellermann, Düsseldorf, DE
20232023 Breezily Dreams Summer Exhibition, London, United Kingdom
202310 Jahre Galerie Kellermann, Galerie Kellermann, Düsseldorf, DE
2023Organizing Chaos, Fondazione Matalon, Milan, IT
2023Orange the World, Galerie Kellermann, Düsseldorf, DE
2023Shape of Vision, Galleria Spazio 57, Naples, IT
2023Open Art Code, Pinacoteca Comunale "Antonio Sapone", Contemporary Art Museum Gaeta, IT
2023Alles Neu,Night of the Museums 2023, State Parliament NRW Düsseldorf, DE
2022Open Art Code, Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, JP
2022Open Art Code, Grand Palais Ephémère, Paris, FR
2022Sonja Kalb: Traumland, Ross31, Düsseldorf, DE
2020Art of Remediation, Haegeumgang Theme Museum, Geoje, KR
2020Sonja Kalb, Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf, DE
2019We Contemporary Art Show, Topič Salon, Prague, CZ
2019Künstler der Galerie, Galerie Heidefeld & Partner, Krefeld, DE
2019Kunstverein Duisburg zu Gast im Kunstverein Landshut, Kunstverein Landshut, Landshut, DE
2019London Art Biennial, Chelsea Old Town Hall, London, UK
2019Strukturen, Galerie Kellermann, Düsseldorf, DE
2018Chianciano Biennial, Gagliardi Gallery, London, UK
2018Sonja Kalb, Galerie Heidefeld & Partner, Krefeld, DE
2018Chianciano Biennial, Museo d'Arte di Chianciano, Chianciano Terme, IT
2017Sonja Kalb: Abstrakte Malerei, Museum Kaiserswerth, Düsseldorf, DE
2017Rainforest, Kunstverein Duisburg, Duisburg, DE
2015Abstract Dreams, Galerie Kellermann, Düsseldorf, DE
2015Sonja Kalb: Emotion, Galerie Heidefeld & Partner, Krefeld, DE
201520 Jahre Galerie Heidefeld, Galerie Heidefeld & Partner, Krefeld, DE
2013Art for Peace for a better World, National Art Gallery of Izmir, Izmir, TR
2012Sonja Kalb: Abstraktionen, Galerie Heidefeld & Partner, Krefeld, DE

Selected Fairs

2025Context Art Miami, Miami, USA
2024Aqua Art Miami, Florida, USA
2024Focus Art Fair, New York City, USA
2024LA Art Show, Los Angeles, USA
2023Aqua Art Miami, Miami Beach, Florida, USA
2023Affordable Art Fair, Metropolitan Pavilion, New York City, USA
2022International Art Fair Innsbruck, Olympiahalle Innsbruck, AT
2018art KARLSRUHE, Messe Karlsruhe, Rheinstetten, DE
20141st International Contemporary Art Fair Iran, Qasr Garden Museum, Tehran, IR
2012Affordable Art Fair, La Pelanda, Rome, IT
2012Art Beijing, Fangheng International Center, Beijing, CN
2011Lineart 30, Flanders Expo, Ghent, BE

Selected Publications

  • Sonja Kalb, edited by Matthias Kellermann, Galerie Kellermann, 2022
  • Interview with Sonja Kalb, edited by Marta Puig, Contemporary Art Curator, 2022
  • John Austin, Unconstrained Paintings by Sonja Kalb, in Artery, 19 November 2020
  • Paul Zimmerman, Spotlight: Sonja Kalb, in Artery, 23 September 2020
  • Premio Combat 2019 Prize, edited by Paolo Batoni, Sillabe, 2019
  • Sonja Kalb, edited by Matthias Kellermann, Galerie Kellermann, 2019
  • Timothy Warrington, Sonja Kalb. Critical Analysis, International Confederation Art Critics, 2019
  • We Contemporary, edited by Musa International Art Space, Serradifalco Editore, 2019
  • Sonja Kalb. Emotion, edited by Egon Heidefeld, Galerie Heidefeld & Partner, 2015
  • Sonja Kalb. Abstraktionen, edited by Egon Heidefeld, Galerie Heidefeld & Partner, 2012
  • International Contemporary Artists Volume IV, edited by Olga Antoniadou, ICA Publishing, 2012
  • Sonja Kalb, edited by Egon Heidefeld, Galerie Heidefeld & Partner, 2009

Selected Collections

  • 2024 Chianciano Museo D'Arte, Chianciano, IT
  • 2020 / 2024 /2025 Yukyung Art Museum, Haegeumgang Theme Museum, Geoje, KR
  • 2020 Art Collection, Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf, DE