The painting of Christian Thoelke—with what are in some cases extremely large formats, upon which can be seen human domiciles and infrastructures in a desolate and decrepit condition or at moments of acute menace—constitutes a contemporary position whose contents are quite explosive. The theme of these pictures is the loss of the present, of a feeling of security, of rootedness in the reliable and familiar; they investigate the question as to whether nature is still available as a place of refuge. Although the creative output of Christian Thoelke is not induced by any agitational motivation, his works evince a day-by-day topicality with regard to current conflicts in Europe and elsewhere in the world.
—Katrin Arrieta

Christian Thoelke speaks of “symbols” when he talks about the act of painting: “It is a matter of finding a picture that allows you to tell a certain story.” Painting is a part of remembering. Digging for what lies buried brings to light peculiar and fascinating pictures.
—Kito Nedo