Conny Maier explores nature and the darker side of paradise in new Munich exhibition

The German artist's exhibition at the Pinakothek der Moderne brings together paintings, drawings and hand painted ceramics in an exploration of nature, mythology and the uneasy relationship between beauty and destruction.

German artist Conny Maier is presenting a new exhibition at Munich's Pinakothek der Moderne, transforming the museum's galleries into an imagined paradise where natural beauty exists alongside the possibility of destruction.

Titled Searching for Paradise, the exhibition is presented by the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München and curated by Dr Michael Hering. It brings together paintings, drawings and hand painted ceramic tiles, with nature taking a more prominent role than in Maier's earlier work.

Running until 17 January 2027, the exhibition explores the relationship between humanity and the natural world through imagery influenced by art history, mythology and the traditions of European painting.

Between beauty and unease

Maier's work is characterised by expressive figures, vivid colours and compositions that draw on several artistic traditions.

Her paintings recall elements of early Expressionism, particularly the Munich based Blue Rider movement, while aspects of her palette evoke the restrained tones of Old Master paintings.

These influences are disrupted by more instinctive and unconventional forms associated with Art Brut, creating images that appear both familiar and unsettling.

Throughout her practice, Maier has explored fundamental human emotions, including love, fear and fury, often using archetypal figures to examine relationships and behaviour.

In Searching for Paradise, however, the natural world moves from the background to the centre of the composition.

Landscapes, plants and gardens become the principal subjects, presenting environments that initially appear idyllic but gradually reveal a more troubling character.

The exhibition invites visitors to consider whether paradise is a permanent state or something inherently vulnerable to change and destruction.

Nature as a source of inspiration

The project developed from research Maier began in Brandenburg in autumn 2024.

Working alongside a florist friend, she undertook field studies of the region's natural environment, examining plants and botanical forms that would later influence the exhibition.

Back at her studio in Portugal, Maier developed these observations into thematic studies and storyboards.

Her research subsequently expanded at the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, where she examined historical representations of plants and their symbolic meanings.

These investigations introduced new elements of allegory and mythology into her work, drawing inspiration from medieval tapestries and the decorative traditions of Baroque interiors.

Historically, flowers and plants have carried meanings extending beyond their appearance, representing everything from love and renewal to mortality and danger.

Maier draws on this visual language to create compositions in which natural beauty can conceal more ambiguous messages.

A garden of mythology and imagination

The exhibition extends beyond conventional paintings and drawings to create an immersive environment.

In the museum's Rotunda, Maier has designed a salon decorated with blue and white ceramic tiles, recalling the elaborate interiors and ornamental gardens of the Baroque period.

The installation encourages visitors to linger among images that evoke fairy tales, botanical illustrations and imagined landscapes.

Elsewhere, large paintings create a sense of an expansive natural environment.

Among the works is Der Wald hat all seine Blätter und weiß nichts vom Feuer, a monumental painting comprising 16 panels and extending across 24 metres.

Its title, drawn from a poem by Sarah Kirsch, translates approximately as The forest has all its leaves and knows nothing of the fire.

The work reflects one of the exhibition's central tensions: the apparent security of the natural world and the possibility of an approaching catastrophe.

An unsettling vision of paradise

Rather than presenting nature as a purely peaceful refuge, Maier uses familiar botanical imagery to examine uncertainty and transformation.

Her landscapes suggest enchanted gardens and imagined sanctuaries, but their expressive forms and symbolic details introduce a sense of unease.

The result is an exhibition that moves between historical artistic traditions and contemporary concerns about humanity's relationship with its environment.

By bringing together painting, drawing and ceramic installation, Maier creates a world in which the boundaries between beauty, mythology and danger become increasingly uncertain.

Searching for Paradise is on view at the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, until 17 January 2027.

Image credit: Conny Maier, Searching for Paradise, 2026. Courtesy of the artist, Société, Berlin and Hauser & Wirth. Photography: Michael Mönnich.