Profile

Rainer Kurka

1974born in Erlangen
1994 – 2002studies of architecture at the Technical University of Darmstadt
1997 – 1998studies at the Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence
2003 – 2008artistic assistant at the department of plastic design of the TU Darmstadt
seit 2009freelance sculptor in Berlin
Bronze sculpture “BaERBAla” (2012), former premises of the ERBA spinnery, Bamberg

Awards and Nominations

2025International Ceramics Sculpture Triennale: Short List
2018Art Award of the Nürnberger Nachrichten: Art Award
2017Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale: Honorable Mention
2016PHOENIX-award 2016: Nomination
Levi Strauss bronze sculpture (2020), Levi Strauss Museum, Buttenheim

Acquisitions

2020 Levi Strauss Museum, Buttenheim
2018 Badisches Landesmuseum, Schloss Karlsruhe
2017 Keramikmuseum Westerwald, Höhr Grenzhausen
2015Hetjens Museum (Lontzen Foundation), Düsseldorf
2012Sparkassen Foundation Bamberg
9. Skulpturen.SCHAU! Weikerseim, 2016

Selected Exhibitions

2026SkulpturenSCHAU!, Weikersheim
2025International Ceramics Sculpture Triennale, Warsaw, Poland
2024Rainer Kurka und Klaus Fahlbusch, Kunstverein Kleinmachnow
2022Sonntagmorgen, Galerie Christine Knauber, Berlin
2021Distanz, art figura award exhibition, Schwarzenberg
2020anniversary exhibition 75 Jahre Pfälzische Sezession, Kunsthalle Speyer
2019Spieglein, Spieglein, solo exhibition in the Eisenkunstgussmuseum Büdelsdorf
20195 am Tor der Welt, Fabrik der Künste, Hamburg
2018Triennale IV Fokus Franken, Kunsthalle Schweinfurt
2018About Clay, european ceramic art exhibition, Fiskars (Finnland)
2017Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale, Icheon (Korea)
2017Material und Form, Ceramic Museum Westerwald, Höhr-Grenzhausen
2016“SkulpturenSCHAU!”, solo exhibition Weikersheim
2015“Summer in the city”, DAT Galerie, Berlin
2014“Realismus goes Pop”, Skulpturenforum Isernhagen, Isernhagen
2014“Auf Augenhöhe”, Koenitz art gallery, Leipzig
2013Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale, Icheon (Korea)
2013“One-Artist-Show”, Art Karlsruhe with Galerie Gering
2012“Rainer Kurka”, solo exhibition in the International Club of the ministry of foreign affairs, Berlin
2009“Gegenwarten” Rosenheim-Museum, Offenbach
2008“Plastiken”, Galerie Sculptur, Bamberg
Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale 2013, Icheon, Korea