Chromatic Journeys: Rural and Urban Narratives

Chromatic Journeys: Rural and Urban Narratives
A Joint Exhibition by Edina Picco and Bernard Bolter
Freiluft Kunst Klub Berlin  | Hotel Berlin, Berlin | 
Vernissage: April 17, 2025 18:30

Chromatic Journeys: Rural and Urban Narratives brings together the works of Berlin-based artist Edina Picco and San Francisco-born artist Bernard Bolter. Through analogue collage and mixed media, both artists explore the dynamic relationship between rural tranquility and urban energy, unified by their expressive use of color.

Edina Picco constructs abstract, imagined landscapes from torn and cut paper—quiet compositions that offer balance and refuge. Though rooted in abstraction, her works are emotional geographies shaped by a life lived across borders. Born to an Italian father and a Croatian mother, and raised mostly in Germany, her practice reflects a fluid cultural identity. Time spent working in the post-conflict territories of the former Yugoslavia has further informed her sensitivity to themes of belonging, displacement, and inner stillness.

“I’ve always loved the energy of the city,” she says. “But with its constant movement and noise, I also find myself seeking stillness. These collages create that quiet—imagined spaces that offer balance, reflection, and a sense of belonging.”

Bernard Bolter is a contemporary American artist who works primarily between the mediums of paint and photography. Having grown up skateboarding in the streets of San Francisco and traveling through international cities, urban landscapes have been his inspiration and material throughout his career. His mixed media practice engages with themes of city life, architecture, and social commentary. Using layering, fragmentation, and visual juxtaposition, his pieces echo the chaos and poetry of the streets.

“To be human is in itself an art,” Bolter says, “as seen through the creative problem solving everyone uses to survive.”

Together, their works offer a nuanced conversation about movement, memory, and place—urban and rural, personal and collective.

Edina Picco and Bernard Bolter have exhibited internationally, and their works are held in private collections. Chromatic Journeys opens from 6.30pm on April 17, 2025, in the FKKB Gallery at Hotel Berlin, Berlin. Both artists will be present at the opening. We look forward to seeing you there.

For more information: fkkb@hotel-berlin.de   www.fkkb.de