International Female Perspectives on Awareness at Discovery Art Fair Cologne 2026

JS Gallery announces “States of Presence”, a curated constellation of eleven artists exploring perception, form and attentiveness across global contexts.

COLOGNE / ATHENS — JS Gallery, the international contemporary art platform founded by the Institute of Mediterranean Culture (IMC), Greece, will participate in Discovery Art Fair Cologne (April 24–26, 2026) with “States of Presence”, a rigorously curated exhibition exploring awareness as both aesthetic and structural condition.

Curated by art critic and IMC Vice President Julia Sysalova (AICA) and German-based visual artist Natalya Raduenz, the exhibition brings together eleven contemporary women artists from Germany, Austria, Armenia, New Zealand, Slovenia, Latvia, Israel and the United States: Olga Arshinov, Elena Gozunova, Galina Hartinger, Olga Horne, Alana Joy, Galina Knauth, Irina Metz, Momalyu (Liubov Kriuchkova), Eka Orba, Jamala Rahmanli and Krystsina Sysoyeva.

“States of Presence” unfolds as an international dialogue grounded in perceptual discipline. In a cultural moment defined by accelerated image circulation and visual saturation, the exhibition turns toward attention, not as sentiment, but as structure. The participating artists approach presence as something constructed through compositional rigor, chromatic balance, spatial awareness and material sensitivity.

Although shaped by diverse artistic traditions and cultural histories, each artist sustains a distinct visual language. Together, their works form a constellation rather than a category, independent practices entering into resonance through shared inquiries into perception, equilibrium and grounding.

Across painting, collage and mixed media the exhibition privileges duration over immediacy. Color carries structural weight. Abstraction functions as orientation. Form becomes a site where memory and perception intersect. Rather than directing interpretation, the exhibition creates conditions for sustained encounter where meaning emerges through proximity and time.

“”States of Presence” reflects on how art can restore focus in a distracted environment,” notes curator Julia Sysalova. “Across different countries and visual traditions these artists treat presence as something tangible, built through rhythm, clarity and disciplined form.”

Natalya Raduenz adds: “In “States of Presence” we wanted to bring together artists who know how to hold a moment. These works don’t rush or explain, they ask us to slow down and really look.”

Presented at XPOST Köln during Discovery Art Fair 2026, the project positions Cologne as a site of wider international exchange, foregrounding contemporary art as an optimal space for global perspectives’ intersection.

Exhibition Details

Exhibition: States of Presence

Event: Discovery Art Fair Cologne 2026

Dates: April 24–26, 2026

Location: XPOST Köln, Booth XX

Curators: Julia Sysalova (AICA), Natalya Raduenz

Presented by: JS Gallery, Institute of Mediterranean Culture

About JS Gallery

Founded within the Institute of Mediterranean Culture (Greece), JS Gallery is an international art platform dedicated to fostering dialogue across cultural contexts. The gallery collaborates with artists from diverse national and aesthetic backgrounds, positioning contemporary art as a field of intellectual exchange and structural inquiry rather than stylistic alignment.

About Discovery Art Fair Cologne

Discovery Art Fair Cologne is an international contemporary art fair held annually at XPOST Köln. Known for its dynamic curatorial mix of emerging and established galleries, the fair serves as a significant European platform for cross-border artistic exchange, bringing together collectors, curators, institutions, and critics from across the global art landscape.

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