“Try & Error” at the KWS Art Lounge: Looking Back on an Artist Talk About Trial and Error in Research and Art

Einbeck, 11.08.2026

“Try & Error” is the title of Wolfgang Ellenrieder’s exhibition, which remains on view at the KWS Art Lounge on Tiedexer Straße in Einbeck until August 15. On the exhibition’s final day, the artist will be present to offer visitors an opportunity for conversation and exchange.

Trial and error describes an artistic approach in which observation, doubt, and reorganization are inseparably linked. Wolfgang Ellenrieder’s paintings make motifs appear tangible while simultaneously dissolving them into soft blurriness. Visual shifts alter perceptions of proximity and distance, while scales move between the microcosm and the macrocosm. The 14 works on display primarily feature vegetal forms, early stages of plant development, stems, and structures reminiscent of molecules, similar to those visible under a microscope. The exhibition invites visitors to explore the creative process behind Ellenrieder’s work.

Parallels, but also differences, between Wolfgang Ellenrieder’s artistic process and the breeding work carried out at a research-driven company such as KWS were at the heart of an artist talk held on 6 July. Together with Leipzig-based art historian and author Wolfgang Ullrich, artist Wolfgang Ellenrieder and Thomas Ehrhardt, Head of Global Research and Services at KWS, discussed the similarities and distinctions between artistic and scientific practice.

The event gave numerous guests fresh insights into the connection between art and scientific thinking and allowed them to view the exhibited works from a different perspective. The contrasting viewpoints of the speakers, combined with contributions from the audience, created a lively and inspiring dialogue. The discussion opened up new perspectives on the unexpected links between research and creativity and, thanks to its unique atmosphere, proved to be a valuable addition to the exhibition.

An artist does not primarily think about the audience, “but I do think about what people should see,” Wolfgang Ellenrieder revealed. His works do not emerge according to a fixed formula. Nevertheless, artistic processes also involve certain parameters, for example in a series of works or in site-specific projects created for a particular space. “Not everything that looks spontaneous was created with a single brushstroke,” Ellenrieder explained. Over the years, experienced artists develop their own “vocabulary of forms” and acquire different strategies for visualizing ideas. This often enables them to anticipate how changing a specific parameter may affect a work. Yet surprises can never be ruled out.

Ellenrieder also described his working methods. He mixes his own paints rather than using standardized colors straight from the tube. Instead, he carefully selects pigments and binding agents. His typically large-format canvases are placed on the floor while he works. To gain a different perspective on the emerging painting and make adjustments where necessary, he sometimes climbs a ladder to view the work from above.

Research and plant breeding, by contrast, are largely shaped by the elimination of undesirable combinations and by the systematic pursuit of a clearly defined goal, Thomas Ehrhardt explained. Through crossbreeding and the selection of thousands of plants, breeders identify those offspring that come closest to the desired characteristics. Ideally, the development process results in a new variety. Every step of the process is carefully documented.

In art, it often takes longer for a painting to be truly finished, Ellenrieder noted. At the same time, artists can intervene at any stage of the creative process and may even arrive at better solutions than originally envisioned. Sometimes a particular section of a painting troubles him for a long time. Only once he is satisfied with every detail does he consider a work complete. Paintings can also be revised or painted over, resulting in relatively few “complete failures,” a number that tends to decrease with experience.

In research, however, the path to the desired result is defined by numerous trials. Many tests are required to identify those traits that move a breeding project closer to its predefined objective, Ehrhardt explained. A key factor is recognizing unsuccessful approaches as early as possible. Modern breeding processes, however, also offer targeted opportunities to introduce creative change. Knowledge of genetic coding, for example of genes associated with specific plant diseases, allows developments to be influenced deliberately. According to Ehrhardt, this is comparable to an artist’s choice of a particular brush that reliably produces a desired effect.

Thomas Ehrhardt also emphasized that KWS intentionally displays artworks in its research facilities to provide creative impulses for employees. Inspiration is essential for occasionally breaking away from established ways of thinking and acting. He pointed out the importance of distinguishing between science and research: the open-ended and exploratory scientific work often pursued at universities and research institutes is frequently closer to the artistic creative process than the more goal-oriented research aimed at developing marketable products. The artworks displayed at KWS serve as an example of how such impulses can help foster a balance between methodological rigor and creative openness in everyday working life.

“The truly brilliant things do not happen when someone follows a method and takes one step after another in a straight line, but when someone dares to try something completely different,” Stephan Krings, Head of Global Marketing & Communications at KWS, had already emphasized during the exhibition opening.

With Wolfgang Ellenrieder, the KWS Art Lounge’s focus on emerging contemporary art enters into dialogue for the first time with the work of an internationally established artist. Born in Munich, Ellenrieder studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich from 1981 to 1989. Since 2010, he has been Professor of Painting at the Braunschweig University of Art. He has received numerous awards and scholarships, and his works are included in important public and private collections across Europe and the United States.

His next exhibition will be on view from September 12, to November 1, 2026 at the Wetterau Museum. Marking the 50th anniversary of KVFB, the group exhibition will bring together Wolfgang Ellenrieder and many other artists to celebrate the diverse artistic activity that has shaped the Friedberg Art Association over the past five decades. The exhibition will feature works by renowned artists including Marina Abramović, Julian Schnabel, Thomas Bayrle, Franz Erhard Walther, and K.O. Götz. At the same time, it will mark the Friedberg Art Association’s move into its new premises at the Wetterau Museum.

“Sweet Harmony” is the title of the next exhibition at the KWS Art Lounge. It will open on Thursday, August 27, at 6:30 p.m., and will be on display until October 31, at the venue on Tiedexer Straße in Einbeck. The exhibition will feature works by artist Philipp Stöckel.

The KWS Art Lounge, located at Tiedexer Straße 20, Einbeck, is open Thursdays and Fridays from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Admission is free.

> Click here to access the exhibition

About KWS
KWS is one of the world’s leading plant breeding companies. Nearly 5,000 employees* in more than 70 countries generated net sales of around €1.68 billion in the fiscal year 2023/2024. A company with a tradition of family ownership, KWS has operated independently for almost 170 years. It focuses on plant breeding and the production and sale of seed for sugarbeet, corn, cereals, vegetables, oilseed rape and sunflower. KWS uses leading-edge plant breeding methods to continuously improve yield for farmers and plants’ resistance to diseases, pests and abiotic stress. To that end, the company invested more than €300 million last fiscal year in research and development.
*excl. seasonal workforce

More informations: www.kws.com/corp/en Follow us on LinkedIn: LinkedIn_KWS Group