Alexander Carsten

Alexander Carsten (*1968) lives and works in Berlin. His painting is rooted in the European postwar movement ›Informel‹, an approach that places emphasis on gesture, material and an open, process-driven image. He develops this tradition into a contemporary, precise and distinctly personal visual language.
Early years in Berlin and at the Schlei, competitive sports and extended stays abroad shape his perception. After his studies, he works as a consultant and builds his own company. Painting accompanies him throughout this period and later moves to the center of his practice. Today he is fully dedicated to his artistic work.

His works emerge through a layered process. Paint is applied, condensed and reopened. The surface carries these processes as visible traces. Grooves, overlays and linear structures articulate the pictorial space and give it rhythm. A silvery ground often forms the field, receiving light and setting it into motion.
Within this ground, figures appear in reduced form, placed individually or in small groups. Their contours remain open. Their color is embedded in the layered structure. Their presence develops through the tension with the surrounding field. Where several figures meet, a configuration of proximity and distance guides the viewer’s gaze.
The work examines the relation between appearance and its support, and how an image develops through its process and how form asserts itself within it. Since March 2026, Alexander Carsten is represented by our gallery. 
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