Photography by ALICE STELLA
On February 10, SLEEK Art Space opened its doors with a new exhibition: Nostalgia of the Image showing works by the renowned Swiss photographer Michel Comte.
Since the 1980s, Comte has been one of the defining figures at the intersection of fashion, portraiture, and independent artistic practice. His work oscillates between staging and intimacy, between public icon and private moment, creating images that have become deeply embedded in our collective cultural memory.
At SLEEK Art Space, this trajectory unfolds in a focused and carefully curated selection. The exhibition moves from early, style-defining portraits to more recent works that turn toward landscape, light, and a pared-back visual language. Rather than following a strict chronology, the show creates spaces of resonance: glamour meets stillness, presence meets vastness. What emerges is not a retrospective in the conventional sense, but a meditation on transformation.
Nostalgia of the Image positions itself as a reflection on the image itself – its capacity to hold time, shape memory, and shift meaning. Comte’s works appear as visual condensations of experience: they mark eras while remaining open, searching, and strikingly present. Particularly compelling are the artist’s handwritten notes on selected works. They function not as explanatory captions, but as quiet anchors of memory – subjective traces that open the image and make its temporality visible.
The evening drew numerous art lovers, collectors, and directors of cultural institutions, evolving into a vibrant meeting point for artistic exchange. Over carefully selected wine by AIX, guests toasted, discussed, and continued conversations that carried on between the works. The atmosphere was defined by palpable enthusiasm and thoughtful dialogue, lending the vernissage the relaxed elegance that so often characterises significant nights in the art world.
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Works by: Michel Comte & Editions Comte (the official archive of Michel Comte)
Curated by: Nisha Merit
Exhibition runs: 11 February – June 2026 at SLEEK Art Space, Berlin
Printed by: WhiteWall
Photography by: ALICE STELLA
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Photography by ALICE STELLA