German artist Peter Zimmermann brings his distinctive, color-saturated vision to Manila as his first institutional solo exhibition in the Philippines opens at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila on 3 February.

Titled Painting Rules, the exhibition is presented in collaboration with Nunu Fine Art, with spaces in Taipei and New York. It invites viewers into Zimmermann’s luminous world of layered color and form, unfolding across large-scale works that blur the boundaries between painting, digital imagery, and material experimentation.

Born in 1956 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, and now based in Cologne, Zimmermann began his artistic practice in the 1980s. His early works, known as Book Cover Paintings, transformed the covers and titles of atlases, art books, travel guides and dictionaries into striking abstractions rendered in epoxy on canvas. Over time, his practice evolved into complex compositions built from multiple layers of epoxy resin, refracting and distorting photographs, film stills, and diagrams.

In 2014, Zimmermann began translating these conceptual investigations of digital image generation into oil painting. For the artist, digital images may be composed solely of algorithms and free of error, yet they are capable of evoking emotion and expression once deconstructed and reimagined. “I deconstruct and alienate these templates using graphic algorithms before transferring them, layer by layer, onto canvas in numerous transparent coatings,” Zimmermann has explained.

Whether in oil or epoxy, his works are characterized by sleek surfaces, seamlessly blended gradients, and an almost liquid luminosity. Rendered on large dibond panels, the paintings radiate depth and clarity, drawing viewers into an immersive visual experience.

Zimmermann has held solo exhibitions in major art centers across Europe and Asia and has participated in international group exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale and the Moscow Biennale. His works form part of important public and private collections worldwide, including those of the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The artist is no stranger to the Philippine art scene. Through repeated participation in Art Fair Philippines under the auspices of Nunu Fine Art, his works have entered the collections of several prominent Filipino collectors. Notably, the exhibition features Palladium (2022), one of Zimmermann’s most recent works, now part of The M Museum’s permanent collection following its generous donation by the artist.

Alongside the exhibition, Zimmermann will conduct an interactive workshop for students prior to the opening. Using custom-designed stickers to create a collaborative mural, the program also incorporates a wall installation that links his current oil and epoxy resin paintings with his earlier installation-based practice. The initiative aims to foster creativity and cooperation among young, aspiring artists while offering them a closer encounter with contemporary art-making.

Painting Rules runs until 30 April at third-floor North Gallery of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. It is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Tuesday to Friday), and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Saturday to Sunday), and closed on Mondays and other special occasions.