Pop Up Gallery Lörrach: AKCNSTUDIOS Art Toys until 14 Nov 2026

ART TOY AUSSTELLUNG BASEL DESIGNER TOY LÖRRACH NOT A TOY POP UP GALLERY THE NOIR THE SMOKE THE SPLIT & PEEL 25. October 2026

October 25, 2026

AKCNSTUDIOS in der Pop Up Gallery Lörrach – Designer-Skulptur aus Resin auf weißem Sockel

Pink and blue, it glows: THIS IS NOT ART. A few steps further, on white plinths, stands the answer: NOT A TOY. For three weeks, AKCN is showing his sculptures at the Pop Up Gallery in Lörrach – a gallery for a limited time, right on the border with Basel.

Pop Up Gallery Lörrach at a glance

What: AKCNSTUDIOS at the Pop Up Gallery by Dieter Korb
When: 24 October to 14 November 2026
Open: Thursday to Saturday
Where: Basler Straße 155, 79539 Lörrach, Germany
Admission: free
On view: including THE SMOKE (new), THE SPLIT & PEEL, THE NOIR

A gallery for a limited time

The Pop Up Gallery by Dieter Korb has no permanent address. It moves into empty spaces, fills them with painting, photography and sculpture for a few weeks – and then it is gone again. The format has been running in Lörrach for several editions; the Badische Zeitung calls it a "gallery for a limited time".

That principle fits AKCN. Art doesn't have to wait behind a museum door. It belongs where people walk past – on Basler Straße in Lörrach, with free admission.

Lörrach – right next to Basel

Lörrach sits in the tri-border region, door to door with Basel, the city of Art Basel. For AKCN, this is familiar ground: during Art Basel 2026, THE NOIR was already on show at ARTE Lörrach, and in Basel's old town AKCNSTUDIOS has its own showcase in the Kunstmeile all year round. Showroom, showcase, gallery – the figures go where art is seen.

What's on view at the Pop Up Gallery

THE SMOKE – shown in public for the first time

THE SMOKE by AKCNSTUDIOS – new resin sculpture at the Pop Up Gallery Lörrach, monkey with visor and incense stick

Lying on his back, legs casually crossed, one hand at his mouth. In it: an incense stick, held like a cigarette. THE SMOKE is AKCN's newest sculpture – a monkey wearing the visor of the NOT A TOY collection, matte black, 8 × 21 cm. The pose says: all relaxed. The eyes behind the visor say something else.

The Pop Up Gallery is the first place THE SMOKE is shown in public. It is not in the shop yet – if you want to see it, you have to come to Lörrach. Enquiries: studio@akcn.de.

THE SPLIT & PEEL – Small in size. Big in trouble.

THE SPLIT & PEEL – limited art toy by AKCNSTUDIOS, 12 cm, on show at the Pop Up Gallery Lörrach

Sitting, grinning, the visor with its white slit lenses pulled low – and in his hands a banana with something entirely different under the peel. THE SPLIT & PEEL is 12 cm tall and limited to 50 pieces. The story behind the figure is in the release post. If you want in on the edition, join the waitlist.

THE NOIR – the figure where it all began

THE NOIR – matte black designer sculpture, 28 cm, by AKCNSTUDIOS at the Pop Up Gallery Lörrach

28 centimetres, matte black, suit, narrow white line eyes. THE NOIR is Drop 001 of the NOT A TOY collection – and in Lörrach it stands where a sculpture belongs: alone on a white plinth, with space around it. The edition is limited to 100 pieces, 72 are still available. Six pieces now live in the US, one of them in Beverly Hills.

Can't make it to Lörrach? THE NOIR is available in the shop.

Only the eyes tell the truth

Designer toys by AKCNSTUDIOS on white plinths – exhibition at the Pop Up Gallery Lörrach

All of AKCN's figures share one idea: everyone wears a mask. Everyone smiles, no matter how they feel – only the eyes tell the truth. That is why the figures wear the visor or the narrow white line eyes, and why the artist himself only ever appears masked.

In the white light of a gallery, this becomes especially clear. You see the black silhouette on the plinth first – and then you get caught on the eyes.

This is not art. Not a toy.

THIS IS NOT ART neon sign in pink and blue – AKCNSTUDIOS NOT A TOY, Pop Up Gallery Lörrach

THIS IS NOT ART, says the neon. NOT A TOY, say the figures. Both are a contradiction – and both are an invitation to look closer. An art toy is not a toy but a designer sculpture in a limited edition. What exactly makes the difference is explained in the big guide to art toys and designer toys.

Plan your visit

The Pop Up Gallery is open from 24 October to 14 November 2026, Thursday to Saturday. Admission is free. Address: Basler Straße 155, 79539 Lörrach – the entrance is under the "POP UP GALLERY" banner. From Basel, Lörrach is a short S-Bahn ride away.

Been there? Take a photo and tag @akcnstudios.

About AKCNSTUDIOS

AKCNSTUDIOS is the studio of the artist AKCN. Under the NOT A TOY label, it creates limited-edition designer sculptures in resin – from the first stroke to the signature, one pair of hands: digitally modelled, finished by hand, every piece individually handcrafted, refined, numbered and signed, made in Germany. Contact: studio@akcn.de · Instagram @akcnstudios

FAQ

When and where is AKCNSTUDIOS exhibiting in Lörrach?

At the Pop Up Gallery by Dieter Korb, Basler Straße 155, 79539 Lörrach – from 24 October to 14 November 2026, Thursday to Saturday. Admission is free.

Which works are on view?

Among others, THE SMOKE (new, 8 × 21 cm), THE SPLIT & PEEL (12 cm) and THE NOIR (28 cm) – all in resin, matte black.

What is a pop-up gallery?

A gallery for a limited time: it moves into an empty space for a few weeks, shows art there and then closes again. In Lörrach, Dieter Korb has run the format for several editions.

Can I buy the figures?

THE NOIR is available in the shop (edition of 100). THE SPLIT & PEEL has a waitlist. THE SMOKE is only on view at the gallery so far – enquiries to studio@akcn.de.