Seven Hills

cadet capela is pleased to present “Seven Hills,” the first solo exhibition of German artist Annabell Häfner in France.

During her several journeys to Japan, Annabell Häfner discovered not only the works of Japanese masters but also the magnificent nature that inspired them—a nature where each mountain and river takes on a particular spiritual dimension. In Japanese tradition, man and nature are inseparable, and the genesis of the creation of the world tells of the order established between Heaven and Earth. This vision is reflected in Häfner’s art, where the alliance between sky and earth, outer and inner, forms a peaceful and harmonious whole, questioning the connections between nature and modern infrastructures.

Guided by the concept of “non-places” developed by anthropologist Marc Augé, which designates transitional places such as airports, hotels, metro stations, and supermarkets, Häfner aims to highlight the emotional yet ephemeral imprint we place on these anonymous locations. Having frequented them herself, the artist creates atmospheric “places of color,” fleeting glimpses of these spaces where details remain indistinct. Objects, barely sketched within the artwork, evoke vague memories, where the atmosphere of a place surpasses the memory of the place itself.

Häfner thus uses color emotively to capture the ephemeral in painting. In her paintings, these places become sites of aspiration, embodying a sense of disengagement, introspection, or freedom. They also symbolize stillness, where time seems frozen, offering an escape from the frenzy of modern life.

In this new series of paintings, nature and mountains take on particular significance. Inspired by legends from her childhood such as those of the Siebengebirge, where seven giants purportedly created hills to bring the Rhine closer to villages, Häfner explores the myths and legends that humanity has invented to learn to see the world, casting her own gaze upon it. Using chalk, oil paint, and acrylic, the artist works in instinctive layers, overlaying her memories. Her almost mystical representation of nature, framed by minimal architecture, creates a suspended atmosphere, an ephemeral moment. Häfner shares these unique moments with the visitor, inviting them to enter a captured, real or dreamt moment, conducive to contemplation.

Annabell Häfner (born 1993 in Bonn, Germany) lives and works in Berlin. She has recently been the subject of solo exhibitions at Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany (2024); Tara Downs, New York, USA (2023); and Haus am Kleistpark, Berlin, Germany (2022). Annabell Häfner has also participated in the following group exhibitions: “INBETWEEN,” Villa Schöningen, Potsdam, Germany (2022); “A room of One’s Own/Part II,” Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany (2022); “Weissensee!” Marburger Kunstverein, Marburg, Germany (2021); “Mart Stam Preis 2020,” Galerie Parterre, Berlin, Germany (2021); “Fragmente und Brücken,” Galerie Gefängnis Le Carceri, Kaltern, Italy (2021); “Rundgang 50Hertz,” Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, Germany (2021). Häfner was awarded the Artists Inside scholarship in 2021 and the Rundhang 50Hertz Prize.