I don’t know if you’ll believe me a second time, but the exact same thing happened again. Upon arriving in Berlin, I opened Instagram only to see a reel of Johann König inviting followers to a new opening at König Galerie.

In the clip, he announced that Sihan Chen’s first solo exhibition was opening that very evening at 6:00 PM. He turned the camera, offering a brief glance at the works on display.

I quickly did the math: with a job interview at 4:30 PM and a 30-minute commute to the St. Agnes Church complex where the gallery is located, I realized I could just make it.

Initial Impressions: Sihan Chen’s solo show

Since I attended the exhibition opening on such short notice, I didn’t have the opportunity to familiarize myself with the artist’s background or her oeuvre in advance. This was a stark contrast to my visit to Franz Stein’s exhibition, Feels Like Spring, where I had invested several hours into researching videos and podcast interviews beforehand.

I essentially entered the exhibition with only four keywords in mind: born in China, based in Cologne, black and pink, and horses. In all honesty, there are both pros and cons to experiencing a show without prior exposure to the works.

One thing I have learned from my recent visits is not to judge works simply because they appear minimalist, reduced, or limited in their palette and form. In Chen’s case, what first struck me—and perhaps every visitor—was the high-contrast pairing of black and pink. This intense visual stimulus initially prevented me from grasping the underlying imagery, as the colors competed for my attention.

A more detailed experience

As I moved from painting to painting, I began to realize that the horses—the central subject of every work—are portrayed differently in each instance. I first reflected on this when I encountered a piece depicting a horse in motion. It immediately evoked a sense of dynamism and energy, capturing the raw power a horse exerts when running through a paddock.

My second observation was a piece where a horse was depicted in negative, which I found highly appealing. It prompted me to reflect on Sihan Chen’s technical process—how she actually achieved this inverted effect. This particular work stood out as a highlight of the series for me.

My third discovery was perhaps the most intriguing: her sophisticated use of color and negative space. While I initially assumed I was looking at a black horse on a pink background, this notion soon began to dissolve. After spending more time with the works, I found it difficult to discern whether I was seeing a pink horse on a black field or vice versa, as the boundaries between the two had become beautifully blurred.

In some pieces, the background is divided into distinct pink and black sections. This creates a horizontal line that suggests a horizon, which, in turn, provides a sense of three-dimensional space. This subtle shift transforms the canvas from a flat surface into a vast, deep environment for the horses to inhabit.

Last but not least, I made one final discovery just before leaving. The exhibition is titled Blue is a Gaze, yet there appeared to be no blue involved—or was there? Upon closer inspection, the largest painting near the entrance reveals what can be described as the faint outline of a blue cloud. Perhaps the deeper meaning of this choice still eludes me, waiting to be fully uncovered on my next visit.

The solo exhibition „BLUE IS A GAZE“ by SIHAN CHEN can be visited until April 12, 2026 at KÖNIG GALERIE (ST. AGNES), BERLIN.

I visited the exhibition myself on Tuesday, March 24, 2026