DATES:
Exhibition from June 6–12.
open daily 12–18h
Special events:
June 6: Soft opening 16–20h.
June 10: Vernissage 19–22h. Live: Duo Sabiar
June 11: Finissage 19–22h. Live: Pinewood Road
.
Too busy in the studio. But things are going great and: Save the date(s)!
If you know me you know how much I like a well done artist website, more than I like instagram profiles and such, cos you know, a website is like a house you build and that you own, but of course it needs a lot of attention to be kept in shape.
I lacked this necessary attention a bit these past months, but that is only because I spend all my time in the studio working on new pieces for my upcoming solo-exhibition with heliumcowboy in Hamburg this June. Thsi exhibition will be my largest ever (so far), and there is a lot (a lot!) of space in the beautiful Barlach Halle K where it tales place.
Also there was the work I made for another upcoming exhibition: in New Orleans with the fabulous Mortal Machine Gallery in May, but those pieces have been crated and shipped and already arrived in April. So that’s done.
So let this be a short post, mainly with the dates of my exhibitions, I really hope to see you there! For daily updates please visit my instagram … (yeah I know 😂).
Hope you are all great, despite the insanely shitty times, I’ll try to condense some of the anger and frustration and hope and hate and love and general shit that is happening in the world and to our society in my work, like the good old punk cowboy you know me for.
DATES:
Memory Patinas (group)
at Mortal Machine Gallery, New Orleans
feat. Drew Leshko, Albert Reyes, TMRWLND, Alex Schaefer, Alex Diamond
Opening May 13
It’s all good (solo)
with heliumcowboy artspace
at the Barlach Halle K, Hamburg
June 6–13.
open daily 12–6
Special events:
June 6: Soft opening
June 10: Vernissage
June 11: Finissage with Concert
More to be announced - see heliumcowboy.com and/or their instagram for details.
2022: From Hamburg to New Orleans and back.
There are a lot of things happening at the studio these days. I am preparing for two exhibitions already in the first half of the year, and I am currently working on different types of media, combining techniques, exploring and laying down the foundations for what’s to come (well, truthfully, I am doing this since November already, but this way it sounds cooler).
So right now, at this stage, it is hard to present finished work. It is too early for that but I am also a big fan of showing the progress in the studio, that’s why a lot of my content is tagged #WIP - even though images of unfinished work and studies and processes can lead to false conclusions from time to time. And some of this progress does land in the campfire in my studio up north 😂
These pictures here from last night show the first canvases I have started to work on in many years, having focused on mostly wood and sometimes paper since … I don’t even know. Years! What can I say? I started out as a painter in my early career and moved to woodcuts and wood sculptures and installations around 2009, and I love the feeling of the brushes on fabric again. Though paintings will only be a part of the work shown at my exhibitions - there will be paintings again! Obviously in my current styles and techniques, just not cutting or sawing or building …
Depending on my location, I will work in different ways and on different pieces: When I am in Hamburg I can probably do more construction as my woodshop is indoors, also there is more space for larger pieces. In my other studio in the countryside I am a bit limited indoors simply because it is an old half-timbered farmhouse with low ceilings. My woodshop there is partly outside, and while it does have a roof and a few walls, it is partly open and has no heating, so low temperatures and cold and wet weather can present limitations from time to time.
Paperwork I can do everywhere. I am already at 250 drawings for the Hamburg exhibition. I am going for 350 in June, maybe more, but not less.
The exhibitions I am focusing on at the moment are in New Orleans in May and in Hamburg in June.
In New Orleans I will present my work for the very first time at Mortal Machine Gallery! It just became official this week and I couldn’t be more excited about this one! The exhibition is titled “Memory Patinas” and opens May 13. Curated by gallerist Gabriel Shaffer, I show alongside Drew Leshko , Albert Reyes, TMRWLND and Alex Schaefer.
Here in Hamburg I have a huge solo show at the beautiful Barlach Halle K, and this is the largest exhibition hall I have ever shown at alone. No title yet, but a time: June 4-14. I am supported by Melvin and his team from heliumcowboy, of course, and it will be part of the 20 year anniversary program of the gallery.
More about both shows as they come closer. Also more about the progress of the work. Just follow me on instagram and come back to this website - it’s all there.
F.T.S. Installation & exhibition "In other words: <_blank>"
My installation F.T.S. at heliumcowboy. Click the image to visit the gallery website including the work.
Just some quick images from my installation at heliumcowboy as part of the triple header exhibition “In other words: <_blank>” with Jens Rausch and Boris Hoppek.
The opening was awesome. If you missed it, there’s a Catalogue Release Reception June 25, 17:00 – 21:00. Also the gallery is open Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 13:00 – 19:00, and by appointment. You can get in touch with Melvin here.
Below these wonderful photos by Julia Schwendner (thisisjulia.de) you can find my artist statement about the installation.
ARTIST STATEMENT
„I think my work is influenced by the fact that we're living in dangerous times. If I could put it in a sentence, in fact, my work is about just that: living in dangerous times.“ Don DeLillo
Well. I know. I am a fucking artsy smartass, quoting Don DeLillo. But hey, it is true, we are living in dangerous times, and that not just depends on where you’re socially located - at the bottom of the food chain, or on top of the money making game. Capitalism probably has never been easier to understand because its effects are so blatantly visible and so shamelessly displayed.
I absolutely relate my work and especially this series to DeLillo’s source for inspiration. And the danger I am referring to is not just a matter of perspective as stated above. I personally feel that despite the fact that every minute, every second of the day any possible opinion is posted to potentially everybody who is able to hold a smartphone (yes, you don’t even have to be able to read, images are feeding your thoughts just the same), our reactions are dulled and our survival instincts have been drowned by convenience.
In 2005 DeLillo also said that „writers must oppose systems. It's important to write against power, corporations, the state, and the whole system of consumption and of debilitating entertainments [...] I think writers, by nature, must oppose things, oppose whatever power tries to impose on us."
Replace „writers“ with „artists“, add Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok etc. to the list of „debilitating entertainments“ - and there you go. I agree 100% with the wise man on this.
I have always been a politically active person. I have been at least in parts radicalized in my youth, which was a very good time for it because the issues and problems then required action, the same as today but still very different. Getting older, I never ceased to speak my mind and express my often strong and - subjectively seen - alert and vigilant opinion. But I have also been domesticated by life, by choices, by the environment. In my art career, which by now spans several decades, I have been tempted as well to go for the aesthetics and fashion. It is an easy trap to fall into if you are trying to make a living with this shit. It is even worse today where likes and followers are treated as some kind of currency by a social media driven society.
But for many years now I have worked hard to come up with my very own aesthetics and with unique techniques of visual storytelling to find my very personal and individual way to express my concerns, my cares, my love for nature and humanity and my rage towards greed, oppression and intolerance. It is through working with wood and construction and carving with sharp blades and heavy paint and hard work and solid craftsmanship and absolute dedication that I try to create artworks that matter and that are expressive and political.
I believe art can be a beacon to shine a spotlight on society and our lifes, and a flag to be raised in battle. It can be more subtle than a punch in the face or the burning of police cars, but it has the same potential to raise awareness.
This is what I want my voice to be in this crazy, messed up, violated and fucked with but still so lovable world. The installational series I have been working on for this special exhibition in these weird times reflects this. The progress to get to this point was a struggle, and a constant inner debate, even though held mostly in private until the show for numerous reasons, but still … a fight. A battle. A bloodshed at times.
Like an undercurrent one of my favorite expressions for a while now flows though this series. Some may see it an expression of resignation, but that is not my interpretation. I feel it should be rather shouted out loud as a call to action:
Fuck this shit.
Jörg Heikhaus aka Alex Diamond, June 2021
Opening at heliumcowboy June 5 & 6: "In other words: <_blank>"
Today opens my exhibition alongside fellow artists Boris Hoppek und Jens Rausch at the heliumcowboy artspace Gallery in Hamburg. I built an instalational piece including 18 of myna works. I’ll show you after the opening, for today it’s for those who attend the first public Vernissage of the year 2021 at the gallery.
So glad it all worked out, if you are in town - it’s a not-to-be-missed exhibition by all three artists, curated by the new gallerist of heliumcowboy, Melvin Heikhaus.
Opening is all weekend long, Saturday from 14:00 – 20:00 and Sunday from 14:00 – 18:00.
"In other words: <_blank>": Exhibition opening moved to June 5
So, we have a new date again for the triple header exhibition “In other words: “<_blank>” (together with Jens Rausch and Boris Hoppek) that was supposed to open in March, then in May, and now over the course of the weekend June 5 & 6. I will show a new body of work that I will present in form of an installation within one room of the heliumcowboy gallery, working title “r.evol.ution”.
There will be a catalogue released as well as a new print edtition. Looking forward to this, it has been too long.
Einblick #3: Video from the artist talk at the digital opening
Here’s the full artist talk from my heliumcowboy-lockdown-exhibition „einblick“ Feb 26 - March 11.
I also did a 24-hour instagram-takeover of the heliumcowboy account - go check it out (in highlights and posts)
Enjoy!
einblick #3: special exhibition project
I am very excited to be part of Melvin’s new heliumcowboy-lockdown-exhibition-project „einblick“ - every week there is a new show with a different artist in the windows of the heliumcowboy gallery, starting Friday’s with a live-opening (Zoom & Facebook).
I freshly created 34 drawings for this exhibition, all very spontaneous but heartfelt explorations, all honest and blunt, some angry, some political, and some even vagely romantic.
This small video here is just a fast forward preview, the originals will be online Friday. Hope you can join Melvin and me for our talk live from the gallery, starting a 8:15 pm. Links in my profile here and of course over at heliumcowboy . Please spread the word, I love to see you all again, even though it is just through the wire!
Vernissage: Fr 26.02., 20.15 Uhr
https://zoom.us/j/95854608761
(Kenncode: einblick, Meeting-ID: 958 5460 8761)
Exhibition: Roots
Exhibition view. To view the show: Click image.
My first exhibition this year is titled ROOTS and it is obviously different like everything else … I am showing at the Vinothek of long time friends and partners from Weingut Tesch, and while my artwork is really there it will be tricky (but not impossible) to see it live. But there’s an interactive 360 degree view of the show so you can experience it from your home office or couch or … check: weingut-tesch.de/roots . The exhibition is curated by Melvin / heliumcowboy.
I am really looking forward to the online opening on February 3rd (8:15 pm), I will be in my studio and Martin Tesch in the exhibition and we will talk (in German) about my work, you can hang out with us live on instagram, Facebook and YouTube. You can of course also purchase the art online.
Click to see the virtual tour.
If you didn’t know already, this vinery is very different from most others, Martin Tesch is very close with German Punk heroes Die Toten Hosen, producing their tour wines for a very long time now, and he is also the supplier of the official wine of the Wacken Festival. Martin is the Rockstar among winemakers and he is known to support progressive culture, like he is supporting heliumcowboy for close to a decade now.
With this exhibition he is bringing a few other partners that are all connected to the virtual table as well: there will be online tastings with Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei, whose label artist I am since 2014, and with Uerige Hausbrauerei from Düsseldorf, who are brewing collaboration beers with Kehrwieder and the Toten Hosen. There is a wine/beer package you can order for these tastings at the Tesch-website.
So, please support the arts, support the small manufacturers of beer and wine, and generally enjoy different cultural and sensory experiences while being in lock down.
Too busy in the studio. But things are going great and: Save the date(s)! (Kopie)
If you know me you know how much I like a well done artist website, more than I like instagram profiles and such, cos you know, a website is like a house you build and that you own, but of course it needs a lot of attention to be kept in shape.
I lacked this necessary attention a bit these past months, but that is only because I spend all my time in the studio working on new pieces for my upcoming solo-exhibition with heliumcowboy in Hamburg this June. Thsi exhibition will be my largest ever (so far), and there is a lot (a lot!) of space in the beautiful Barlach Halle K where it tales place.
Also there was the work I made for another upcoming exhibition: in New Orleans with the fabulous Mortal Machine Gallery in May, but those pieces have been crated and shipped and already arrived in April. So that’s done.
So let this be a short post, mainly with the dates of my exhibitions, I really hope to see you there! For daily updates please visit my instagram … (yeah I know 😂).
Hope you are all great, despite the insanely shitty times, I’ll try to condense some of the anger and frustration and hope and hate and love and general shit that is happening in the world and to our society in my work, like the good old punk cowboy you know me for.
DATES:
Memory Patinas (group)
at Mortal Machine Gallery, New Orleans
feat. Drew Leshko, Albert Reyes, TMRWLND, Alex Schaefer, Alex Diamond
Opening May 13
It’s all good (solo)
with heliumcowboy artspace
at the Barlach Halle K, Hamburg
June 6–13.
open daily 12–6
Special events:
June 6: Soft opening
June 10: Vernissage
June 11: Finissage with Concert
More to be announced - see heliumcowboy.com and/or their instagram for details.
Happy New Year
“Harmony” | woodcut - wood, acrylic paint. 30 x 40 cm. 12/2020
Not much to say yet. Too early. But it is all good - looking forward to this brand new year, looking back grateful for how it all turned out despite a f***ed up 2020, and always staying positive.
Love you all, thanks for stopping by, for the endless support and appreciation of my work.
First show of the year opens already this January at Weingut Tesch - find out more here.
Some angry beasts at Feinkunst Krüger
I’ve created a small group of apparently angry beasts for the 15th edition of the annual super-exhibition “Don’t Wake Daddy” at Feinkunst Krüger Gallery in Hamburg. This is the biggest Low Brow-exhibition in Europe, and the artist line-up is full with insanely great talent:
Alexandra Lukaschewitz, Ana Juan, Aniela Sobieski, Andrey Klassen, Anthony Pontius, Brad Woodfin, Brian Serway, Caitlin McCormack, Claudia Six, Dewi Plass, Dolce Paganne, Elmar Lause, Erlend Tait, Ewa Pronczuk-Kuziak, Fred Stonehouse, Gregory Hergert, Hazel Ang, Heiko Müller, Jason Limon, John Casey, Kisung Koh, Marc Burckhardt, Marco Wagner, Marcus Schäfer, Mario Maplé, Miriam Zadil, Martin Nill, moki, Naive John, Pamela Tait, Paul Neberra, Susanne König, Stig Bergas and Tripper Dungan.
Honored to be part of this again! The exhibition is curated by Heiko Müller and Ralf Krüger.
Even though it is tricky times you should visit the gallery - it is open Thursday – Saturday 12 – 7 pm, and aditionally December 21 - 23 from 12 – 6 pm (or get in touch). You can also check out more information and images through the website of the gallery and download a pdf with the exhibited artwork here (7,3 mb PDF).
Who the fuck is Flaum van Kreuzen?
Or better: Why?
It is all here, at this link.
Inaugural group exhibition
ANDERSEN
SCHRADER
VAN KREUZEN
at heliumcowboy, September 5 - October 17, 2020
This video shows the new catalgue we published with heliumcowboy - the very first ever of the work of Flaum van Kreuzen. You can buy it online here.
Video from the exhbition (fast forward)
heliumcowboy goes fully abstract - with three heavyweights of the game, starring danish painter Morten Andersen, Hamburg based shooting star Paul Schrader and Jörg Heikhaus‘ latest side project Flaum van Kreuzen.
Three very different positions in one space, all strong, passionate, emotional and engaging in their very own way.
Charley and The Farmer
Most likely the last two woodcuts of 2019. It has been a challenging year, an interesting year, good in so many ways but too busy in so many others. Well.
Here you go with “Charley” (right) and “The Farmer” (left), both 47 x 37 x 5 cm in size, and shown for the first time at the group exhibition “I bought my wifa a painting for Christmas but all she really wanted were Jewels and Pearls” at heliumcowboy (Dec 6, 2019 – Jan 31, 2020), featuring Winnie Truong (CA), Jaybo Monk (FR), Victor Castillo (Chile), Jens Rausch (DE), Rune Christensen (DK), Jon Todd (CA), Fabian Wolf (DE), Various & Gould (DE) and Rasmus Rinhack (DK).
New Series of work and final exhibitions 2019
Alex Diamond: Philomena (2019)
Woodcut and acrylic paint, 100 x 7 x 3 cm
Just presented the first three works of my new series at the exhibition “X Jahre Kunst in Hamburg” at the Affenfaust Galerie in Hamburg, next to the beautiful paintings of Jens Rausch.
Next exhibition is at the heliumcowboy gallery opening December 6, 2019, featuring work by Winnie Truong, Various & Gould, Rasmus Rinhack, Jaybo Monk, Fabian Wolf, Victor Castillo, Jens Rausch, Rune Christensen and Jon Todd.
Work in progress
Exhibition views “X Jahre Kunst in Hamburg” at Affenfaust Galerie Nov 2019
Kind, gentle and fully dressed | Vernissage Photos
Below are the photos from the opening of my exhibition “Kind, gentle and fully dressed” by the wonderful Julia Schwendner / ThisIsJulia Photography. Once again she managed to capture the beautiful spirit of that night so well!
And what a wonderful and very special place this version of the heliumcowboy artspace is! And not just to me. Not sure of there are many galleries with this atmosphere. Thank you to everyone who visited this show or one of the openings this year.
The exhibition is on display until January 20, 2019. If you wish to visit, please drop me a note or contact the gallery. And of course Follow me on instagram, I’ll post all valuable info and opening times there too.
The exhibited work can be seen on Artsy. Exhibition views are here on this site.
There is a (german language) podcast out where I talk with Andreas O. Loff about the new work and the exhibition, you can find it here:
