Barbara Tegethoff presents her exhibition "A Journey into the Blue" at the KunstForum Zülpich – an invitation to an artistic journey into the world of cyanotype, one of the oldest photographic printing techniques.

The exhibition title consciously plays with the ambiguity of the expression: On one hand, it refers to the characteristic deep blue color of the cyanotype, and on the other hand, to the motif of an experimental, open journey – a letting oneself be involved in the unknown, the creation of images in the interplay of chemistry, light, and creativity. Tegethoff embraces this ambivalence and makes it the guiding principle of her current body of work.
The cyanotype, also known as blue print, was developed in 1842 by John Herschel. The process is based on a light-sensitive iron salt solution that reacts to UV exposure and reveals its characteristic blue color when washed out with water. The technique became well-known through the scientist Anna Atkins, who documented ferns and algae in cyanotypes and is considered the first female photographer.

Barbara Tegethoff connects to this historical tradition and continues it in a contemporary manner. Her botanical and photographic motifs reflect a precise aesthetic engagement with nature, structure, and material. The exhibition includes works on paper, ceramics, fabric, and stone, and illustrates the wide-ranging experimental possibilities that Tegethoff extracts from the process. "A Journey into the Blue" thereby also becomes an exploration of new artistic ways that make the medium experienceable in its original simplicity and its current complexity.
Mid-Exhibition

The KunstForum Zülpich cordially invites you to the mid-exhibition on January 18, 2026, at 2:00 PM. The event will be musically accompanied by Galina Belan and Lenny Joe Schmitz and offers visitors the opportunity for direct, in-depth exchange with the artist.

Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Cost: free
Location: Zülpich, KunstForum, Kölnstr. 28
Info-Tel.: 02252. 95190
E-Mail: tegethoff@t-online.de