The Beauty School Karlsruhe opens exhibition space and new show from Nils Weiligmann

KARLSRUHE, Germany (May 1, 2026) – The Beauty School Keramik Atelier is opening its street-facing show window as Karlsruhe’s newest—and likely smallest—exhibition space for contemporary art. The program will invite selected artists to develop and present works in close dialogue with the studio, either by exhibiting existing work or producing new pieces on site.

Alongside a full calendar of ceramics classes and workshops, and its function as a working production studio for founders Koch&James, The Beauty School is expanding its activities to include this new off-space format, aimed at supporting experimental and publicly accessible presentations of contemporary art.

For the inaugural exhibition in the show window, TBS has invited Karlsruhe-based artist Nils Weiligmann (sometimes appearing at “Nihels Weiligmann”). Nils is a long-time collaborator and former classmate of Koch&James at the Kunstakademie Karlsruhe (class of Professor Leni Hoffmann). He is also the co-founder of his own exhibition off-space, Free Port Purgatory (Koch&James had a project there in October of 2023). 

For this exhibition, Weiligmann developed a series of unique ceramic vessels produced within The Beauty School studio in collaboration with Koch&James. Acting variously as sculptor, potter, and creative instigator, Weiligmann worked across roles to produce the pieces. The works were carefully dried, glazed, and fired, and have now been brought together in a multi-media installation called “Harder Higher,” which extends beyond the window to include a video component and a sculptural intervention in the exterior space.

Weiligmann’s practice engages with abject material languages – bodily fluids, synthetic materials, and construction elements – subjected to processes of distortion, degradation, and transformation. While the work carries an undercurrent of rebellion, it is equally marked by humor and play. For this exhibition, Weiligmann draws on the vernacular of head-shop culture, presenting a series of custom ceramic bong forms as both functional objects and sculptural propositions. 

Joe Krasean, co-founder of TBS, said, “Nils was a natural first choice for us to help kick off the exhibition program in our show window. We have been friends for a long time, and he also invited us to show in his off-space. It feels great to be able to return the favor, but we are also big fans of Nils’ work. I think there are sympathies between our practices – we both favor parasitic structures – even as our aesthetics are quite far apart. I’ve always admired Nils commitment and humor.” 
The show will open in a public event on Friday, May 1, starting at 17:00. There will be drinks served on a donation basis, and the bongs may be “activated” on the curb element by participating patrons.The installation will remain on view until the next exhibition.

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