Kunstverein Nürnberg – Albrecht Dürer Gesellschaft

Exhibition text

In High Noon, Sofia Defino Leiby presents new works developed during her five-month residency in Nuremberg as part of the Marianne-Defet-Malerei-Stipendium. Leiby’s process is shaped by selection, revision and reassembly. Fragments from her environment become part of a material system that captures shifts in political urgency, emotional overload and personal withdrawal. Her gestures alternate between spontaneity and intense consideration. High Noon includes paintings, collages, as well as virtual photography. These works expand the traditional genre of painting into a hybrid space of memory, fiction, and simulation. 

The accompanying publication functions as a reader, bringing together images pertaining to the exhibition alongside an introduction by Nele Kaczmarek and texts by Michael Van den Abeele, Zuzanna Bartoszek, Nelson Beer, Otto Bonnen, Leonie Schmiese, and Andrew Wagner. The book launch will happen on 13 November at Kunstverein Nürnberg.

High Noon is made possible by the generous support of: Stadt Nürnberg, Fachbereich Kultur, da Vinci Künstlerpinselfabrik DEFET, Hahnemühle, Schmincke, Karin und Uwe Hollweg Stiftung, Kemmler Foundation, Kost-Pocher’sche Stiftung.

Curators: Nele Kaczmarek, Leonie Schmiese

Flash Art, 15.07.2025, Gabriela Acha

Sofia Defino Leiby, “Joiner / Life is Sweet”, 2025, © the artist

A playlist for the exhibition can be downloaded by scanning the QR code below: