Soft Embers of Becoming
Artist
Raffael Bader
Dates
28 February – 28 March 2026
Time
11:00 – 19:00 (Closed on Sunday and National Holiday) (until 5pm at the last day)
Venue
Gallery Hayashi
Opening Reception
28 February 6 – 8 pm
GALLERY HAYASHI + ART BRIDGE is delighted to present Soft Embers of Becoming, a solo exhibition by Leipzig-based artist Raffael Bader. Marking the artist’s first solo exhibition at the gallery, the show inaugurates a collaboration between GALLERY HAYASHI + ART BRIDGE and Enari Gallery, Amsterdam. The show will be on view from 28th February to 28th March 2026.
In the new body of work, Raffael Bader investigates states of quiet transformation that unfold beneath the visible surface of things. His paintings are guided by the conviction that what is commonly perceived as still, inert, or lifeless is in fact permeated by subtle movement. Rather than depicting moments of extreme rupture or dramatic change, Bader turns toward processes of slow ignition — a latent warmth, comparable to embers resting within wood, already present and patiently unfolding.
Bader approaches painting as a space in which forms remain attentive and porous. Colour, texture, and gesture sometimes come to the fore loudly, and sometimes they recede, remaining vague, they listen, accumulate, and breathe. In these compositions, the elements seem to hover between material presence and inner vitality, suggesting that each form carries within it its own degree of hardness or alertness. Becoming is not staged as a dramatic event, even though there are works that erupt more strongly, but rather as a continuous, gentle persistence.
Soft Embers of Becoming proposes a view of matter as animated and responsive. There is no absolute stillness, no dead matter — only shifting intensities of awareness. In Bader’s paintings, life sometimes bursts forth directly, sometimes it glows gently, inviting the viewer to attune themselves to the quiet rhythms that shape existence from within.
Artist
Sound of Late Summer Mornings, 2025, Oil on canvas, H650 × W550 mm (25.9 × 21.6 inches)
© RaffaelBader, Courtesy of Enari Gallery, Amsterdam and GALLERY HAYASHI + ART BRIDGE, Tokyo
Raffael Bader
Raffael Bader (b. 1987, Germany) explores the tension and harmony that shape both nature and human perception. Growing up in southern Germany and later spending extended periods abroad in Australia, Asia, and Latin America, his experiences of different landscapes and cultural environments have had a lasting influence on his practice. He examines the subtle balance between chaos and order, approaching landscapes not as fixed or unchanging scenes, but as living spaces marked by constant, often barely perceptible movement. Bader’s paintings often begin with “notes,” small and simple drawings that arise intuitively. From these initial marks, his works develop into layered compositions that reflect ongoing processes of transformation.
Bader graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, Leipzig Germany in 2019. He has received the “Denkzeit” grant from the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony (2020) and a work scholarship from the Stiftung Kunstfonds, Bonn (2021) and participated in residencies at Colstoun Arts, Scotland. His works are held in the collections of the Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dresden and the Yusaku Maezawa Collection. The artist’s work has been exhibited at GALLERY HAYASHI + ART BRIDGE (Tokyo), Contemporary Art Foundation (Tokyo), Enari Gallery (Amsterdam), Yiri Arts (Taipei), Fred Levine (Bruton), BEER GALLERY (London), among others. Bader lives and works in Leipzig, Germany. This exhibition is his first show at the gallery.
Selected works
Where Hot Steam is Being Released, 2025, Oil on canvas, H1200 × W1050 mm (47.2 × 41.3 inches)
© RaffaelBader, Courtesy of Enari Gallery, Amsterdam and GALLERY HAYASHI + ART BRIDGE, Tokyo