solo exhibition of 30 original pen&ink on paper works by Christoph and curated by Dominique Jacques
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In the autumn of 2025, filmmaker Christoph Pohl created the first drawing of what would become a series of black ink on white paper. He had not drawn or painted since his school years and believed he simply wasn’t capable of it.
The turning point came after watching a video about creating Madhubani-style patterns as a meditative exercise. But the decisive impulse came from a liberating phrase he read in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way: Progress, not perfection.
The idea that imperfection possesses its own unique beauty was essential in helping him overcome his hesitation. Having always relied on technology to create films, videos and interactive multimedia works, he embarked on this minimalist adventure armed only with an ink pen and a small sheet of paper, without preliminary pencil sketches, rulers, compasses or any other tool.
What began as something of a game, or perhaps a challenge to himself, gradually became a regular practice: an exploration that, rather than exhausting itself over time, continued to grow richer with ever-new possibilities.
Ten months later, this journey is presented in an exhibition titled [Paste Title Here], a playful nod to the artist’s digital background, contrasted with the deliberately self-imposed discipline of working entirely by hand.
The contrasts between digital and handcrafted, black and white, multidimensional and two-dimensional, copy and original serves as the common thread of a body of work that, beneath its playful appearance, explores themes that are strikingly relevant today.
After an initial series of tree drawings, Christoph’s work began to transform and diversify. He draws pixels, geometric patterns that sometimes resemble microscopic structures and abstract landscapes that evoke the physics and geometry of space.
He creates optical illusions and intricate interwoven letters that resemble encrypted messages, inviting viewers to actively engage in deciphering them. With wit and subtlety, he scatters artistic references throughout his work, alluding to pointillism, kinetic art, comics, lettering, and even street art.
Each of these small compositions possesses a formal and poetic beauty that makes it unique. Each stands as a kind of riddle containing its own solution, offering an answer to the questions it raises:
What makes an artist truly unique and original?
Where does artistic inspiration come from?
Will technology and the handmade one day find a way to merge, combining the limitless
potential of one with the irreplaceable singularity of the other?
Dominique Jacques
photos of the exhibition opening at Pitanga Cultural Centre, Auroville on July 31, 2026 by Marco Saroldi
all artworks
