Jan Zöller

JAN ZÖLLER (Haslach im Kinzigtal, Germany, 1992).
“But you don’t have time to use them,” 2024.
Mixed media on canvas.
Measurements: 160 x 200 cm.

Created in 2024, this large-format composition is an expressive manifestation of Jan Zöller’s exploration of the perception of time, hyperproductivity, and the contradictions of contemporary society. His painting, characterized by a combination of everyday references, architectural elements, and messages with ironic undertones, invites reflection on the tensions between work demands and the need for rest. The work connects directly to the universe the artist developed in the project “Keine Zeit zum Baden” (“No Time to Bathe”), presented at the Städtische Galerie Ostfildern in 2021, where swimming pools, bathtubs, and fountains become metaphors for the difficult balance between work, leisure, and personal life.

The composition constructs a labyrinthine architectural space through a white grid that unfolds against an intense blue background, evoking the ceramic tiles of a swimming pool. The surfaces, articulated through geometric planes with shifting perspectives, create a sense of depth and spatial instability, reinforced by tonal variations and color transparencies. Integrated into the structure itself is the phrase that gives the work its title, “But you don’t have time to use them,” which introduces a incisive reflection on the paradox of having spaces dedicated to well-being without having the time to enjoy them. The hallmarks of serenity associated with the color blue and the unease conveyed by the message lend the painting a distinct critical dimension. The relationship between text, architecture, and representation thus transforms a seemingly simple image into a visual metaphor for the rhythms of contemporary life.

Jan Zöller is a German artist based in Karlsruhe, trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in that city and at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris. His body of work encompasses painting, sculpture, and installation, combining autobiographical experiences, references to contemporary culture, and a keen sensitivity to social contradictions. He has had solo exhibitions at Meyer Riegger (Karlsruhe and Berlin), the Ehrhardt Flórez Gallery in Madrid, the Städtische Galerie Ostfildern, and the Kunstverein Friedrichshafen. He was honored at the 24th edition of the Bundespreis für Kunststudierende, presented at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn in 2019, and received a grant from the Stiftung Kunstfonds in 2021. His body of work also includes a monograph titled *Keine Zeit zum Baden*, dedicated to his pictorial and spatial explorations.