Johannes Kahrs was born 1965 in Bremen, Germany. He lives and works in Berlin.

Kahrs takes a photo, a video projection or a film still as the starting point of his drawings and oil paintings. He catches fragments of images of politics, show biz, and advertising to reform, re-interpret, and further fictionalise the represented idea by shifting tones and gradations of grey and black pastel, leaving contours blurred. As he experiments with the original from of the image, he detaches the picture from its original meaning. Hence, he finishes with an almost unrecognisable representation and completely new recording of reality. His work is suggestive and impressive, yet particularly ghostly and mysterious.

In 2001, Johannes Kahrs had solo-exhibitions at S.M.A.K. in Ghent (BE), repeated at FRAC des Pays de la Loire in Carquefou (FR), and at Kunstverein München (DE). In 2004, he participated in the group exhibition Contre-Image at Carré d'Art Nîmes (FR). In the same year, he was also invited for the Manifesta Biennale at San Sebastian (ES). In 2006, his work was included in group shows at Museu Serralves in Porto (PT) and the Phoenix Art Museum (US). A solo show opened in September 2006 at Parasol Unit foundation for contemporary art in London (UK) and will travel to two other venues. In 2007 a solo exhibition opened at GAMeC in Bergamo (IT).

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