Wiebke Mertens
Wiebke Mertens (born in 1997 in Suhl, Germany) is a figurative painter based in Berlin. She studied fine arts at the University of the Arts Bremen. Wiebke Mertens’ paintings depict body parts, gestures, and sequences of interactions. They explore physical expression, the staging of bodies, and how these relate to one another.
She was awarded the Karin Hollweg Prize (2024) and the Paula Modersohn-Becker Emerging Artist Prize (2024). Her works have been exhibited at venues including the nGbK Berlin (2026), the Werkschauhalle at the Spinnerei Leipzig (2025), the Kunsthalle Wilhelmshaven (2025), the Gerhard-Marcks-Haus in Bremen (2024) and the Westwerk in Hamburg (2024). The Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum in Bremen presented her first institutional solo exhibition in 2026.
Text in response to The Table
My paintings capture specific poses in close-up: they zoom in on the surface of the skin, on
gestures of self-expression, of intimacy, and of distancing. The bodies are painted roughly in
life size, because I want my body to relate to the depicted body. The images become
counterparts. They hold the potential for communication and connection: the embodiment of
closeness, power, rivalry, and support.
I Can Change is part of a series, that is bringing the male body back into my work, after
depicting female protagonists and their close relationships to other women for quite a while.
I Can Change focusses on the male figure, while I’m thinking about masculinity, trust, the
potential threat of violence and intimacy. The title comes from a song by LCD Soundsystem.
Through the song the lyrics „I Can Change“ and „Never Change“ are repeated continuously,
which I found touching – trying to be different for a loved one, to save a relationship, while
loving the other person as they are and wanting to give them that assurance.
With the title I also try to point at the tension of wanting to have close relationships with
men, while negotiating what needs to change in order to be truly equal.