Known as the artist duo Kissing Cousins, Mehmet and Kazim Akal push the boundaries of painting by integrating virtual reality into their practice. Their signature red-and-white visual world breaks free from the canvas and enters the digital realm—through immersive installations, digitally painted images, and VR videos, their painted characters morph into animated clay-like beings that move and seemingly come alive.
With works held in the Lenbachhaus collection, Mehmet & Kazim now present a curated selection of their crimson-hued video works at the invitation of the museum, as part of Various Others.
Their graffiti- and hip-hop-inflected aesthetic creates a bold contrast to the ornate historicism of Palais Montgelas—Bayerischer Hof’s exhibition space for the weekend. The short-form videos feature twin-like figures conjoined at the arms, appearing in surreal settings—underwater, on horseback, and beyond. These recurring characters embody the Kissing Cousins themselves, appearing throughout their paintings, drawings, and video works.
For one weekend only, playful nods to art history, self-parody, and insider art-world commentary will take over the hotel’s opulent interior.
Artist Markus Oehlen will perform live with a modular synthesizer, scoring Mehmet & Kazim’s video works with electronic sound. The trio previously toured this performance internationally—now it returns to the lavish Bayerischer Hof for a delightfully offbeat revival.
Presented as part of the overnight “Unconference” at Bayerischer Hof, in collaboration with Various Others.
Markus Oehlen live