The Berlin painter Hans Baluschek (1870-1935) developed his painting parallel to the art movements from Impressionism to Expressionism in the German Empire and New Objectivity in the Weimar Republic. He always remained a figurative painter, whereby his pictures were characterized by a strange constructedness.

In previous exhibitions, Baluschek was interpreted as a socially critical artist who truthfully depicted the life of Berlin's working class. This overlooked the fact that his paintings are much more enigmatic and full of allusions. With references to witchcraft, spiritualism, occult thought, numerical mysticism and astrology, his paintings contain numerous allusions that point to the diverse concepts of the early 20th century of seeking a reality behind the apparent reality. Through more or less unambiguous quotations and references, he lures the viewer onto ever new trails, encouraging them to question themselves and reality. However, he rarely wants his pictures to be truly deciphered.

The exhibition "Secret codes. Hans Baluschek's painting re-read!" attempts a new decoding of this enigmatic painter, who described himself as a realist and a fantasist in a fictitious dialog with an art critic.