Julia Holtmann
Julia Holtmann is a German artist who lives and works in Spain. She studied fine arts in South Africa and Spain (MFA from the University of Málaga) and illustration in Germany (BA from HAW Hamburg), and has been a guest artist in various residency programs in Switzerland, Ireland, North Macedonia, India, Ireland, and the United States. Her work is frequently shown in solo and group exhibitions internationally.
Rooted in drawing, her abstract practice originates in deeply personal drawing books - ritualistic spaces of investigation and rewriting that often evolve into independent objects. From this intimate core, her work expands into small- and large-format series, embracing spatial considerations and ephemeral elements. Organic matter plays an important role in her process-oriented work.
My practice is grounded in spending time in and with nature, as much as in engaging with the drawing book - an autonomous workspace for a deep exploration of repetition, overwriting, opening and closing. Rooted in drawing, my process extends into painting with natural substances and into space through arrangements of found materials, raw elemental components, and ephemeral structures.
I find clues in nature, where I am particularly drawn to the discarded and overlooked. Transforming dead plant fragments, my imagery often hints at the macro through a microscopic lens. I explore forms that linger between the abstract and the recognizable, revealing and eluding simultaneously. In this way, my work moves within thresholds, where I am particularly interested in how the space inbetween shapes adjacent qualities and our perception.
Growing up amid the contrasts of a construction site, microbiological research, wild meadows, and baroque violin music, I developed a visual language shaped by the organic, the raw, and the intricate. These influences continue to inform the way I perceive, create, and engage with the world.
RESUME
Education
2021 - 2022 MFA in Interdisciplinary Artistic Production, Faculty of Fine Arts,
University of Málaga, ES
2009 - 2013 BA in Illustration (Focus: Fine Art Drawing), Faculty of Media and Design,
University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, DE
2005 - 2007 Undergraduate Studies in Visual Arts, University of South Africa,
Cape Town, ZA
Grants, Awards & Residencies
2026 | Artist Residency, Stiftung VILLA SONNENBERG, Lenzburg, CH
2025 | Artist Residency, CILL RIALAIG, Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry, IE
2024 | Outstanding Painting Award, "The Boundary Between Dream and Reality"
WHITELOCK ART CENTER, New York, US (virtual)
2024 | Artist Residency, NEXUS Art Space, HK (virtual)
2024 | Artist Residency, BRASHNAR CREATIVE PROJECT, Skopje, MK
2024 | Sowing Seeds (8th) Residency, Art Junction, KAMAN ART FOUNDATION,
Udaipur, IN
2020 | Project Funding, STIFTUNG KULTURWERK - VG Bild-Kunst, DE
2018 | Young Artist in Residence Program, SALEM ARTWORKS, Salem, NY, US
2015 | ART OLYMPIA Prize, Shortlisted, Tokyo, JP
2014 | ADD ART Scholarship, Hamburg, DE
Solo Exhibitions
2026 | Gräser und andere Sammelsurien, Stiftung Villa Sonnenberg, Lenzburg, CH
2025 | Donde nacen las cosas, Convento de Santo Domingo, Ronda, ES
2024 | Líneas de convergencia (Duo), Casa de Cultura Fuengirola, ES
2024 | Holding the Space of Discomfort (Open Studio), Brashnar Creative Project, MK
2018 | Traces, Abandoned Train Station, Salem, NY, US
2017 | Spitzen, Toro Spacio Gallery, Ronda (Málaga), ES
2015 | Conexiones, Drinks&Co Gallery Bar, Ronda, ES
2014 | ADD ART (Duo), BDO AG, Hamburg, DE
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 | The Boundary Between Dream and Reality, Whitelock Art Center, New York,
US (virtual)
2024 | The Body and Its Many Stories, Nexus Gallery in the Metaverse (virtual)
2024 | Artsenal Inoxis, Alhaurín el Grande, ES
2024 | 8th Sowing Seeds, Art Junction, Udaipur, IN
2023 | INT22, MVA Cultural Centre, Málaga, ES
2020 | Ángeles Caídas, Sala Mingorance, Municipal Archive, Málaga, ES
2018 | Salem Art Works, LARAC Gallery, Glens Falls, NY, US
2018 | Salem Art Works, North Main Gallery, Salem, NY, US
2015 | Incubarte 7, Int. Art Festival, Sala LaMetro, Valencia, ES
2015 | Art Olympia, Toshima Ecomusee Town, Tokyo, JP
2013 | Kunst im Ree, Ree Location, Hamburg, DE
2013 | Reeper Reeper, Haus Hundertzehn, Reeperbahnfestival, Hamburg, DE
2013 | Fumetto, Schwimmbad, International Comic Festival Lucerne, CH
2013 | LUKS #2, Das Lokal, Hamburg, DE
2012 | Milch und Kohle. Die Mutter, Das Magazin, Comicfestival Hamburg, DE
2012 | The Uncanny, Hall of Justice Building, Hamburg, DE
2011 | Reactive Landscapes (Kinetic Installations), Frappant, Hamburg, DE
2010 | Ich oder Du, Touring Exhibition, Hamburg, DE
Own Publications & Contributions
2023 | PARADIGMA No. 25, “Paseando”, academic cultural journal of the University
of Málaga, ES. (Essay and visual contribution)
2012 | FREMDE, indie-book-edition, drawings and layout by Julia Holtmann,
published by MamiVerlag, DE. (Artist book)
Selected Bibliography & Press
2026 | Schmid, Romi: “Zwischen Rückzug, Rhythmus und Resonanz”, Lenzburger
Bezirks-Anzeiger, CH. (Feature article on the residency at Villa Sonnenberg)
2024 | SUBOART MAGAZINE, Print Issue #28, International Art Magazine for
Emerging Artists, PT. (Artist feature)
2024 | Gomez, Sergio (Ed.): CREATE! MAGAZINE, Print Issue #45, International
Magazine for Emerging Artists, US. (Artist profile and interview)
2024 | Fry, Victoria (Ed.): “Moments: Real & Imagined”, I LIKE YOUR WORK
Exhibition Catalogue, Vol. 11, US
2020 | ÁNGELES CAÍDAS, Exhibition Catalogue, Málaga City Council, ES
2014 | ADD ART, Exhibition Catalogue, BDO AG, DE
Collections
Cill Rialaig Art Center, Ballinskelligs, IE
Brashnar Creative Project, Skopje, MK
Casa de Cultura Fuengirola, Málaga, ES
Kaman Art Foundation, Udaipur, IN
Private Collections in Germany, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, and India