The work of Michail Pirgelis (*1976) updates the traditions of post-minimalism, the readymade and conceptual art while simultaneously resisting them. His process usually begins with found materials from aircraft cemeteries in California and Arizona, where disused passenger planes wait to be dismantled and recycled. The Cologne-based artist explores the limits of our understanding of objects, while radically expanding our experience of the sculptural.
Michail Pirgelis, Lines of Apollo I+III, 2025
© Michail Pirgelis. Photo: Ben Hermanni
© Michail Pirgelis. Photo: Ben Hermanni
Michail Pirgelis
Hawaiian Hills
Curated by Friderike Schuler
Kunstraum München, Munich
February 26–April 19, 2026
Public Reception: February 25, 7–10pm
The exhibition Hawaiian Hills presents Michail Pirgelis’ latest series of works as a site-specific installation spanning both floors. The works are made from original aircraft parts with red and white stripes—abstracted fragments of flags. Through the cut-outs and the treatment of the surfaces, the artist intervenes in the design of the found material to varying degrees. With their red stripes on a white background and consistent format, the serial works are reminiscent of abstract images of Minimal Art. The title Hawaiian Hills, on the other hand, opens up a space of longing that seems to contrast with the conceptual approach.
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