Rainer Ganahl - Visiting an active war zone with a bicycle - the Persian gulf 2026

Visiting an Active War Zone with a Bicycle – The Persian Gulf 2026 is a new project by Rainer Ganahl developed during a journey through the Persian Gulf. Combining video, painting, photography, found materials and documentary elements. About Daumenlutscher presents the second Berlin solo exhibition of Rainer Ganahl, developed during his recent journey through the Persian Gulf. The project responds to the ongoing conflict around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, exploring climate change, energy politics, international supply chains and the relationship between geopolitical events and everyday life. Ganahl travelled by bicycle through Doha, Qatar, during a period of escalating regional conflict, producing films, photographs, paintings, appropriated street materials and documentary observations. His journey continues a decades-long practice of travelling to places marked by major political and historical events, using movement, research and direct encounter as artistic methods. The exhibition includes recent “news paintings,” large-scale works, found and appropriated materials, and a fashion performance developed with commedesmarxists. It also reflects on Richard Serra’s monumental desert sculptures in Qatar and the economic and political structures surrounding them. Through these diverse media, Ganahl combines personal experience, historical research and contemporary events to examine how war, energy, wealth and global mobility intersect. Read more Toggle Photography Design / Fashion Prints Painting Film / Video