The second solo exhibition by Salzburg-born artist Florian Donnerstag at Elektrohalle is a masterclass in painterly virtuosity. Here, painting is practiced radically as a high-tension sport. The title “Free Pillows” serves as an ironic lure: where one might expect softness, domestic retreat, or the historical stability of the "three pillows" (monarchy, church, law), Donnerstag serves up a visual friction that keeps the eye in a state of constant unrest.

His canvases are kinetic force fields. Through an alchemical interplay of glazes, spray mists, and graphic overlays, he allows geometric bodies to drift through diffuse chromatic spaces. This architecture of layering cites the experimental spirit of Sigmar Polke, yet translates it into a technoid, fleeting aesthetic of the present. Between cool greys and eruptive nuances of blue, he creates paintings that seem to breathe physically.

Florian Donnerstag (born 1990 in Salzburg, lives and works in Munich and Mondsee) completed his architecture degree in Innsbruck before studying at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich under Prof. Markus Oehlen. He was appointed Meisterschüler in 2023 and furthered his practice in the class of Prof. Andreas Breunig. He graduated with a Diploma in February 2024.