Gerhard Rieβbeck (b. 1964), a German realist painter, accompanies polar expeditions, making them the subject of his oil paintings on boards. Here is what Barbara Leicht, the curator of his exhibition at the Manggha Museum, writes about his work and experience: ‘To the contemporary painter, the greatest temptation involved in accompanying an expedition is the untamed, wild nature found in the world of ice and snow. Rießbeck follows in the footsteps of the pioneers and greatest names of polar exploration, such as Berling, Weyprecht, Scott, Amundsen, or von Drygalski. This is why the figure of an explorer continues to surface in his work. (…) Kamchatka is pure nature, and therefore an ideal scenery for Gerhard Rießbeck, with landscapes that are the exact opposite of what surrounds him in his everyday life. In the endless northern territories, the artist finds moments of solitude, touches infinity. (…) The artist’s great respect for the magnificence of nature does not preclude asking questions about human existence in the face of its untamed forces and trying to see how far man can go in attempts to harness them. When we view Rießbeck’s works, it soon becomes clear how hopeless the human desire to tame the forces of nature is.’