The Intensity of Softness
March 29–September 6, 2026
Fulda 36037
Germany
The exhibition was curated by François Piron.
Conceiving an exhibition that intertwines the works of Franz Erhard Walther with those of Jimmy Robert isn't obvious; the list of differences in their intentions, their identities, the forms they produce and the media they use, would be very long. And yet, the idea of linking Walther’s colossal and pioneering œuvre, built over six decades in Fulda, Düsseldorf, New York and Hamburg, with that of Robert, who was born on the island of Guadeloupe in 1975 and has lived in various international cities, is captivating. It is an attempt to arrive at an unexpected interpretation of their respective bodies of work and a way to observe how two artists address each other, not in terms of filiation or influence, but rather in terms of correspondence.
The curatorial intention here is more poetic than analytical or demonstrative, and consists in finding the rhymes that allow two oeuvres to be brought together, by detecting convergences of interest and complementary ways of working. There is no objectivity here, but rather the pleasure of drawing connections between artistic practices without seeking to find symmetries. The title selected by Jimmy Robert for the exhibition, The Intensity of Softness, cites a shared materiality, the choice by both artists to work primarily with soft materials, such as fabric and paper. These are permeable, flexible and metamorphic materials that can hug the contours of the body yet allow movement, that seem solid but as textile materials are made up of a weave and are tied to the textual.
This choice was by no means obvious for Franz Erhard Walther in the 1960s, and seemed like mere provocation in the artist’s surroundings. Yet he proved to be a pioneer of an art form that emphasised presence, relationship and the impermanence of forms. These terms can also be applied to the work of Jimmy Robert, whose oeuvre since the early 2000s has manifested the presence of the artist's body in performances, photographs and videos that interlace poetic references to literature, choreography and art through quotations and allusions that signal his relationship to beloved figures.
The exhibition points to a common strategy shared by both artists, one that requires determination and a sense of purpose—of entering the risk of uncertainty and openness to change, to the unknown. It describes a trajectory between Walther's and Robert’s works that has presented the opportunity for an exchange: Franz Erhard Walther has conceived a coat element for Jimmy Robert that has prompted a new performance by the artist.
F. Piron
Biography Jimmy Robert
Jimmy Robert's multidisciplinary practice encompasses performance, photography, film and collage, frequently collapsing distinctions between these mediums. Robert's interest in how the body can be personified through materials and the reverse is a force that integrates his longtime work with performance with his larger practice. Robert has choreographed performances within exhibition spaces, in relation to existing architectural structures, as well as re-staging, reframing or sampling historical performances. The frequent citation of moments from art history, film and literature is characteristic of his deeply layered narratives.
Born in Guadeloupe (France) in 1975, he currently lives and works between Paris and Berlin. His institutional solo exhibitions include Moderna Museet, Malmö (2023); Kunsthalle Baden-Baden (2022); Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (2012); and Jeu de Paume, Paris (2012), among others. His performances have also been presented at Tate Britain, London; MoMA, New York; and KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, among others.
Biography Franz Erhard Walther
Franz Erhard Walther (born 1939 in Fulda) is considered one of the most important pioneers of expanded sculpture and participatory art. At the heart of his work lies the idea that art is only made complete through action, physicality, and experience.
Among his most important solo exhibitions in recent years are presentations at WIELS Brussels and the CAPC Bordeaux (2014), Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2018), Haus der Kunst, Munich (2020), Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn (2024), and Arter Istanbul (2025). In 2017, he was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale.
