Torsten Ruehle’s works often begin quietly.
At first glance, the images appear calm and harmonious, shaped by a gentle, almost nostalgic iconography. Interiors, objects and figures feel familiar, as if drawn from an idealized past. With time, however, this sense of clarity starts to shift. Visual disturbances emerge and what initially seemed transparent becomes increasingly opaque.

Line plays a central role in Ruehle’s practice. His compositions are built from detailed linear structures that are partially covered by semi-transparent layers. Objects and figures are then traced with unusually strong pigment lines. These contours do not simply outline forms; they isolate them, condense them and draw attention to the constructed nature of the image itself. In this way, the line becomes both structure and interruption, rooted in a graphic tradition that treats drawing as an active, guiding force.

Ruehle’s images move deliberately between clarity and ambiguity. Forms remain unstable and objects begin to feel like remnants. Although many motifs can be linked to specific periods or styles, their pronounced linear framing lends them a certain anonymity. Meaning is never fixed. Instead, the works remain open, resisting personal symbolism and clear narrative.

Spaces are often built from multiple perspectives and carry a sense of artificiality. They appear staged, almost utopian, yet marked by an underlying fragility. It is this tension, between harmony and disturbance, between memory and present, that gives Ruehle’s work its lasting pull.

Torsten Ruehle lives and works in Berlin. Studied under Arno Rink (HGB Leipzig) and Hanns Schimansky (KHB Weißensee).
He is exhibited as a guest artist from Drewes Galerie.