Water, Clouds, and Spatula Traces: New Exhibition at Minkner Gallery

Layer by Layer: Not a Photo, but Feeling

On Friday evening, a detour to Santa Ponsa is worthwhile. In the Minkner Gallery of Art, Avda. Rey Jaime I, 109, a new series of works will be hanging from September 5 that you won’t forget quickly. The artist Ulrike Schmelter focuses on two simple yet intricate themes: water and clouds. Not a photorealistic snapshot, but atmospheric states.

How the Created Is Made

What stands out: here no fine brush, here a spatula is used. Fluid layers of paint are applied, distributed, and then shaped again by the artist. The repeated layers create a depth that you can almost feel when you come close. The surface remains alive, open, with visible traces of movement — the feeling of dampness, air, condensation.

Schmelter may have united mathematics and painting in her mind — in any case you see calculation and courage at once. She lives between Berlin and Denia and has shown her work for years on both sides of the Mediterranean. So anyone who likes a mix of Nordic seriousness and Mediterranean colorfulness will stay curious.

Opening and Run

The vernissage takes place on Friday, September 5. Guests are welcomed between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM. After that, the exhibition remains on view until October 16. The Minkner Gallery is a compact space — ideal for such works that unfold their effect in quiet. No crowds, no long lines; simply come in, look around, perhaps chat briefly with the owner, who always has a good eye for hanging.

I was on the street just before opening: a few locals were walking their dogs past, a cafe smelled strongly of coffee, and the afternoon sun bathed the sidewalk in warm light. Such small everyday scenes fit well with the images, because they too deal with the moment — mood, not detail.

Why Go?

Because the works are different from what you often see: not pure landscape painting, not a classic cloudscape. Instead, a reduction to material and process. If you come with open eyes, you will discover in the layers traces of wind, droplets, and time. And if you simply want to spend a quiet evening, you will see something that lingers.

Practical info at the end: Minkner opens for the opening at 5 PM — I recommend arriving a little earlier, having one last coffee at the corner, and then entering with a fresh view.