The exhibition “MANGA – The Spirit in Everything” at Galerie M (May 2 – June 20, 2026) is dedicated to the idea of an animated or ensouled world—a world in which all things, whether living or non-living, are imbued with a spirit. This concept is deeply rooted in East Asian systems of belief and thought, such as Shinto, as well as in shamanistic traditions, and continues to resonate in visual cultures today. At the center of the exhibition is the question of how these ideas manifest and transform within contemporary art. Positioned between historical image traditions and the global present, a field of tension emerges in which longstanding notions of spirit, presence, and meaning intersect with contemporary visual languages. In this context, immaterial dimensions—memory, aura, transcendence—are translated into visual form. A particular focus is placed on the influence of manga as a dynamic, globally influential visual and narrative system.
Manga combines iconographic motifs with symbolic layers and creates spaces in which reality and imagination can coexist simultaneously. This distinctive visual logic opens up new perspectives on animistic concepts and their continued relevance today. The exhibition brings together artistic positions from a range of contemporary art practices, including drawing, painting, digital media, installation, and sculpture.
The works on view engage with animated objects, spirits and apparitions, as well as allegorical visual languages and the translation of traditional narratives into new media contexts. Together, they form a multifaceted panorama that compellingly explores the question of “spirit” in contemporary image production.
Works from: Andrea Sroke, Antje Rathsack, Armgard Röhl Birgit Rakette, Daniel Bloß, Detlef Röhl, Egbert Kußmann, Hans-Joachim Hoffmann, Huss & Weisse, Johannes Christopher Gérard, Juliane Duda, K.P.M. Wulff, Katharina Haller, Kosah, Manfred Rother, Marc Pospiech, Mareike Grießbach, Maritta Ulitsch-Rehmer, Maximilian Engel, Maxx Hudson, Mia Brown, Namesi, Neo, Nikola Lyubenov, Patricia Meiert, Pia Antonia Schiller, Renate Bause-Bitterlich, Ruth Spichtig, Sopiko Sharabidze, Stefan Kraft, Stephan Groß, Svetla Popova, Yan Jun White