Werner Bronkhorst is to make his Berlin solo debut this October with his largest collection to date, presenting more than 40 new paintings inspired by the energy, excitement and possibilities of the sky.
Werner Bronkhorst in front of Come Up For Air
Opening at the Gallerie at Potsdamer Platz from 2nd–4th October 2026, HIGH will mark Bronkhorst’s debut solo exhibition in Berlin and continues his run of international exhibitions following presentations in Dubai and Los Angeles earlier this year.
Bronkhorst is known for paintings in which miniature, meticulously rendered figures and objects appear against expanses of heavily textured paint. For the new collection, that familiar shift in scale moves into the sky, with planes crossing distant horizons, hot-air balloons drifting through clouds and skydivers suspended in open air.
At the centre of the exhibition is Come Up For Air, a life-size canvas populated by 25 individually detailed hot-air balloons floating across a sunset. The work uses more than 25 litres of Bronkhorst’s characteristically thick paint, contrasting its substantial physical surface with the apparent weightlessness of the balloons above.
Detail shots of Head in the Clouds and Come Up For Air
Elsewhere, Airplane Mode fills the sky with aircraft travelling in different directions. There’s a personal detail hidden within the composition: the planes represent the 10 most recent airlines Bronkhorst has travelled on.
Travel also became part of the making of the exhibition. A group of smaller paintings was produced while Bronkhorst was overseas during the year, with the artist working through turbulence aboard planes and temporarily turning hotel rooms into studios.
Bronkhorst said:
“The whole world is a canvas, and this collection explores the world above us, encouraging viewers to stop and look up at our vast skies and its ever changing series of colours, clouds and possibilities. A journey through this exhibition and collection is bound to make you feel calm. It is with delight that I debut my largest collection to date in Berlin, a city that embodies creative expression and freedom.”
The Berlin exhibition follows CRACK in Dubai and the not particularly subtly titled BIG BALLS in Los Angeles, a collection inspired by the World Cup. Both presentations sold out.
Bronkhorst has also increasingly moved beyond exhibitions into collaborations across music, sport and automotive culture, including projects with Formula One driver Lando Norris and producer Martin Garrix. In July, he made his international auction-house debut with Phillips.
Berlin is a particularly significant stop for the Australian-based artist, with Germany currently home to his largest collector base in Europe.
For HIGH, however, Bronkhorst is asking everyone to do something rather simpler: look up.
Werner Bronkhorst: HIGH, 2nd–4th October 2026, Gallerie at Potsdamer Platz, Berlin
About the artist
Werner Bronkhorst is a South African-born, Sydney based visual artist known for his two distinct styles: hyper realistic miniature figures set against abstract sculptural backdrops and bold charcoal car drawings overlaid with dense text. Raised in Pretoria, Bronkhorst is deeply influenced by abstract expressionism, surrealism, and pop culture, drawing inspiration from artists such as Warhol, De Kooning, Haring, and Magritte.
Through social media, Bronkhorst offers audiences a raw, behind-the-scenes look at his creative process. By late 2024, Bronkhorst’s audience had grown to over 1 million followers and has now sky-rocketed to 2.8 million, drawn to his authentic storytelling and distinctive aesthetic. Bronkhorst was recently recognised as a member of Forbes Asia’s 30 under 30 for 2026.
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Mark Westall has spent over thirty years creating platforms for culture. Since founding FAD Magazine in 2006, he’s dedicated his career to documenting, championing and questioning contemporary art through publishing, criticism and conversation. As founder and editorial director of one of the UK’s leading independent contemporary art publications, he has interviewed artists, reviewed exhibitions and covered the ideas shaping contemporary visual culture for more than two decades. He also founded Art of Conversation, Despoke and FAD Bazaar, and regularly serves as a judge for international art and photography awards.