New & Abstract is delighted to be taking part in the Discovery Art Fair at XPost Cologne for the first time, from 23 to 26 April.
At stand D4, we are presenting a curated selection of contemporary works that navigate the tension between pop-cultural influences and abstract tendencies, exploring the boundaries between figuration and abstraction.
Anna Beller
Nico Hensel
Daria Lavrova
Jette Leder
Friederike Meier
Phillip Staffa
A particular highlight is the work of Daria Lavrova, who was selected as the winner of the last Open Call. She will be exhibiting at the Discovery Art Fair for the first time as part of this initiative.
Anna Beller works with liquid lacquers that are poured onto the canvas without brushes or palette knives. The paint develops its own dynamics, oscillating between controlled repetition and random movement. Her works open up a dialogical space between structure and intuition.
Ilja Freer works from an inner, compelling energy, navigating the balance between control and experimental openness. At the heart of his artistic concept lies the material presence of colour and its interplay within multi-layered compositions. His paintings emerge through a process of layering, reduction and the interplay of colour tones, dissonance and tranquillity. In this way, form, space, movement and rhythm develop intuitively during the painting process, often in the sense of a ‘controlled coincidence’. Ultimately, the works stand on their own and are not representations, but autonomous pictorial realities that trigger individual associations in the viewer.
Nico Hensel combines traditional craftsmanship with digital processes. In his series “Acrylic Bubbles,” he creates visual worlds that shift between real references and digital abstraction. By merging materiality with virtual aesthetics, he develops a distinctive visual language that playfully challenges the viewer’s eye.
Daria Lavrova has developed her practice from spontaneous drawing techniques into a versatile use of painting and printmaking. Her style is based on analytical drawing and is characterised by Cubist and Constructivist influences. At its heart lies the visualisation of inner structures and forces that determine the composition and energy of a motif. Her works, inspired by urban and industrial aesthetics, oscillate between figuration and abstraction and are held in collections worldwide.
Jette Leder works both figuratively and fragmentarily, abstracting the human form in an expressive way. Her portraits and studies question perception, proximity, and distance, showing how abstraction can offer deeper insights into human emotion and body language.
Friederike Meier uses artificial intelligence as a tool to examine the human figure in hyperrealistic portraits. By translating digital images into oil and acrylic paintings, she creates an interface between technical precision, human fragility, and expressive painting—an experiment that connects figuration and abstraction in new ways.
Phillip Staffa, an artist and musician based in Berlin, combines sound and form to create a playful, emotional visual language. His sculptures transform everyday moments into poetic reflections on perception, materiality and joy. After years in music, he returned to sculpture during the pandemic as a physical and intuitive practice. His open, experimental process is characterised by spontaneity, selection and a keen sense of the right moment to finish. At the heart of his work lie optimism, curiosity and a sense of wonder at the often-overlooked poetry of the everyday.
Together, these positions demonstrate the diversity with which contemporary art interprets the relationship between figuration and abstraction. Each work creates its own world while contributing to a shared visual potential—between expression, experimentation, and reflection.
Visit us at booth D4 and discover how abstraction and figuration engage in a dynamic dialogue through our artists.
23.–26. April 2026
OPENING TIMES
Thursday 23 April
General admission: 16:00 – 21:00 (for invited guests)
Friday 24 April
General admission: 11:00 – 20:00
Saturday 25 April
General admission: 11:00 – 20:00
Sunday 26 April
General admission: 11:00 – 18:00