Art Beyond Boundaries Exhibition · La Galleria Venezia
7 Mai 2026
Art Beyond Boundaries
Coinciding with the opening of the 61st Venice Biennale, La Galleria – the Venetian branch of the Gallery Dorothea van der Koelen in Mainz (founded in 1979) – is celebrating its 25th anniversary. On June 6, 2001, Prof. Dr. Klaus Bußmann (on his 60th birthday) opened La Galleria with a wonderful speech. On display was Omaggio a Venezia, an impressive video sculpture by Fabrizio Plessi, who had helped find the venue. The sculpture consisted of an iron structure, traditionally crafted mosaic elements reminiscent of St. Mark’s Basilica, and a monitor displaying a digital golden river. Jesuit Father Friedhelm Mennekes blessed the gallery at the opening. It was a solemn moment.
We are now celebrating the past 25 years with an anniversary exhibition titled Art Beyond Boundaries. Numerous artists from a wide variety of nations and generations, working with different techniques, materials, and artistic approaches, are participating in the exhibition, thereby demonstrating the potential of art to transcend boundaries. One might recall John Lennon’s Imagine all the people … living life in peace … Borders often lead to war, but the ‘dialogue of cultures’ can be stronger than the ‘dialogue of weapons’!
On the one hand, the artists represented by the gallery are not national but international, thus transcending territorial borders; on the other hand, they also transcend traditional boundaries through their artistic imagery; and thirdly, they transcend boundaries in perception and thought by reframing the world’s questions. This is our chance to come up with different ideas, and that gives us hope and a future.
The opening reception for the major anniversary exhibition will take place tomorrow, Friday, March 8, 2026, starting at 6:30 p.m. – coinciding with the opening of the Venice Art Biennale – at La Galleria Venezia. We hope to see many of you there and look forward to presenting the masterpieces of our international group of artists in person.