a few things ...

Just some stuff that happened the past weeks / will be happening shortly:

ROJO magazine published a new edition, called "®prana pure solid true" and featuring a spread of my latest works from the series "Being Alex Diamond". Get it at the ROJO-website here.

I just finished all images for my first book coming out in Fall with Gudberg Verlag. The book will be mainly about my latest project, called "Being Alex Diamond" (the one with the mask), but will also feature additional artworks & projects, references and texts by authors I admire. Gudberg is going to publish it for the book fair in Frankfurt this October, expect more details soon.

Also in October, I will be opening my next solo showat the heliumcowboy artspace (October 17 - November 13). It coincides with the launch of the book, which is smart, cos the exhibition will be about the same project, "Being Alex Diamond" ...

Just a week before opening the exhibition I will be part of a huge art project in Lüneburg, initiated and curated by Reinking-Projekte. It is an outdoor-exhibition featuring many internationally acclaimed artists. More news about that soon, and of course at the website of Rik Reinking.

Until then you can still check out the group exhibition "Nachschlag" currently on display in Hamburgs heliumcowboy artspace. I've been joining forces with the likes of Evie Haines, Ephameron, 56K, Will Barras, Jon Burgerman, Stephen Smith, Christophe Lambert, Nomad and the Invisble Heroes, and the show runs until August 14. More info here.

And to finish this monster entry: this is what I am currently doing to relax from all exhibition- and book-related preparations for the "Being Alex Diamond"-project - I will be drawing some tattoo-designs for a few people that asked me to do that lately. I'll be going away for some time now and take refuge in a place you cannot follow.

Enjoy the summer & see you soon!

Art Bastard: great site, nice interview

Ever checked out Art-Bastard.com? Only half a year in existence, they already got together a huge amount of great talents on their web-based Urban Art platform. Now featuring an interview with Alex D. as well, read it over here.

Deichkind inside

Deichkind, a pretty popular german band from Hamburg, was shot by photographer Katja Ruge at the Bieberhaus, shortly before the end of the 5 years heliumcowboy-exhibition in Hamburg, crawling out of the installation ... more images from the shooting here ...

Diamonds in Gudberg-Magazine

The new Gudberg-Magazine has been published while I was in New York, and it features 8 pages (A3) with spreads from some of my works. Including a couple of the souls and spirits that were floating inside the installation "you don't know what love is" as seen in New York, and some magazine drawings. Continue reading below for more images.

Other artists in this issue: 56K, typeholics, Julian Rentzsch, Lyle Owerko, Dirk Rossbach, Isabelle Landthaler, Matthias Ludynia, Petra Arnold, Eberhard Kohlhas, Tom Leifer

The magazine is available at a lot of cool stores and galleries for free: DIN A3, 48 Pages. You may also order it online (for a little fee) at the magazines website: www.magazingudberg.de.

ROJO magazine - feat. Boris, Tury & Alex.

The new rojo magazine is out - and it features artwork by (from left to right) Boris Hoppek, Alex Diamond and Arturo Sandoval III. (FriendsWithYou) , amongst others. You can buy a copy either at the Galerie heliumcowboy artspace in Hamburg or via rojos website, click here.

More info from rojo-magazine.com:

ROJO®egal head in the box

Un nuevo número de ROJO® ya ha llegado a nuestro almacén. Con una magnifica portada de Boris Hoppek, contiene 160 páginas de trabajos originales de artistas de todo el mundo. Ya lo puedes comprar en nuestra tienda online. ROJO® te lo envia a cualquier parte del mundo sin coste adicional. A new issue of ROJO® just arrived to our warehouse. Features a beautiful cover by Boris Hoppek, and its 160 pages contain original artwork by worldwide artists. You can order your copy now. ROJO® ships worldwide without additional costs.

ROJO®egal artwork by: Boris Hoppek, Ros Dolan, Wagner Pinto, Javier Tles, Hanna Jónsdóttir, Michel Ducourneau, Irregular Galaxy, Yosuke Bandai, Fupete, Bimbo, Carles Allende, Defi, Mone Mauer, Alex Diamond, Guarch, Shoboshobo, James Dawe, Müdwig Dans, Jonas Linell, Saul Zanolari, Arturo Sandoval, Plastik Kid, Hank Park, Tiago Capute, Sislay, Mikko Rikala, Ruben Sánchez Panzuela, Evgeny Kiselev, Carlos Denisieski, Yomar Augusto, Maria Donata Napoli.

ROJO magazine - feat. Boris, Tury & Alex.

The new rojo magazine is out - and it features artwork by (from left to right) Boris Hoppek, Alex Diamond and Arturo Sandoval III. (FriendsWithYou) , amongst others. You can buy a copy either at the Galerie heliumcowboy artspace in Hamburg or via rojos website, click here.

More info from rojo-magazine.com:

ROJO®egal head in the box

Un nuevo número de ROJO® ya ha llegado a nuestro almacén. Con una magnifica portada de Boris Hoppek, contiene 160 páginas de trabajos originales de artistas de todo el mundo. Ya lo puedes comprar en nuestra tienda online. ROJO® te lo envia a cualquier parte del mundo sin coste adicional. A new issue of ROJO® just arrived to our warehouse. Features a beautiful cover by Boris Hoppek, and its 160 pages contain original artwork by worldwide artists. You can order your copy now. ROJO® ships worldwide without additional costs.

ROJO®egal artwork by: Boris Hoppek, Ros Dolan, Wagner Pinto, Javier Tles, Hanna Jónsdóttir, Michel Ducourneau, Irregular Galaxy, Yosuke Bandai, Fupete, Bimbo, Carles Allende, Defi, Mone Mauer, Alex Diamond, Guarch, Shoboshobo, James Dawe, Müdwig Dans, Jonas Linell, Saul Zanolari, Arturo Sandoval, Plastik Kid, Hank Park, Tiago Capute, Sislay, Mikko Rikala, Ruben Sánchez Panzuela, Evgeny Kiselev, Carlos Denisieski, Yomar Augusto, Maria Donata Napoli.

modart magazine and the FriendsWithYou-bootleg show.

latest issue of modart magazine features an extensive review of the beautiful FrinedsWithYou-bootleg show at the heliumcowboy artspace ... check the links below for the full article! artwork conttributed to the show can be seen here (my stuff) or at the gallery website (all artwork, featuring boris hoppek, moki, nina braun, neasden control centre, eliza, via grafik, haina, kingdrips, friendswithyou, violetta ...

view article
view text

diamonds in the press.

current edition of spanish magazin actitudes features a report about alex diamond ... if you speak spanish, click here to view the full article or go directly to the actitudes website ...

from actitudes #12/2006:

El artista Alex Diamond lleva ya formando parte de heliumcowboy por un tiempo, representando increíbles exposiciones que al mismo tiempo celebran la encarnación del artista en varios personales, figuras e incluso género. Diamond aparece en estas exposiciones en diferentes roles, y subrayando este enfoque, él no revela su procedencia o desarrollo el cual iba a ser una invención de todas maneras, porque la gente detrás de heliumcowboy artspace no cree enlos listados largos de exposiciones ni en impecables curriculums, sino únicamente en lo estético, la imaginación y la fuerza de los artistas y sus trabajos. Desde heliumcowboy representan a Alex Diamond puramente por su potencial artístico y no por su educación (que indudablemente tiene).

En palabras del propio Alex:
"Alex Diamond cambia con cada exhibición y no está atado a un único personaje. Esto es por lo que mi pasado y mi educación son completamente sin importancia, soy lo que deseo ser o lo que el objeto de mi trabajo en ese momento me requiere que sea. Me gusta ser tan intercambiable y flexible, ya que mis exhibiciones están al nivel de varios temas y están creados de una manera monotemática, explorando el tema a fondo. Esta es mi manera de trabajar. Soy más un artista glamoroso y entretenido, y mi carácter flexible como persona es lo que influencia en parte al estilo y la técnica de mi trabajo. Ya se que esto es describir el escenario tradicional del arte, porque todo el mundo busca una pintura y una etiqueta para poner a cada artista. Pero Diamond viaja en el espacio y en el tiempo, de esta manera puedo trabajar libremente sin límites en todo lo que hago."

diamonds in taiwan.

taiwanese arts and design-magazine DPI features a 6 page long interview with Alex. well, it's all in taiwanese, so you better get your dictionary ready ... or you continue reading this entry (below) for a translation of the interview with dpi-editor jasmin cheng ...

more diamonds in this issue: the current dpi-magazine also features interviews with moki and lily ...

view the full article over at heliumcowboy.com >>>

or continue reading for the translated version below ...

DPI-Magazine 08/2006
Interview by Jasmin Cheng

1. Please introduce yourself to our readers in Taiwan.
a. Cultural & educational background.
b. Working experience from past to present
c. Things you likes (music, book, food, hobbies)
d. Your role models (who have influence on your art creations)
e. Clients you have cooperated with.

One part of being Alex Diamond is not to reveal any backgrounds, because the primary influence on what Alex Diamond stands for is life itself. It is rather an artistic statement, with the luxury of defining the artists persona depending upon the subject of my exhibitions.

I have been doing art ever since, but 2004 saw the “birth” of Alex Diamond with the large first show “Alex Dimaomd’s Strange Sofa” at the Galerie heliumcowboy artspace in Hamburg. Then last year followed the even bigger show, “Gold, Kinder!” at heliumcowboy artspace, featuring a live concert by Russian Punk/Avantgarde-Band Barabass.

But the creation of Alex Diamnond was a progress over many years! It builds upon the experiences of his creator, which was successful in fine arts for a long time but then ceased to exist with the incarnation of me. But of course there are some outlines: Alex Diamond is European, a sleepless worker, doesn’t know pain or suffering, and exists only through his art.

2. Alex Diamond, have anyone ever asked you about your last name “Diamond”? Does it have some special meanings to you too? Do you wish to make your life shine as bright as a real diamond?

The name Alex Diamond has got nothing to with my life, or with wanting to shine extra bright. It blends the dynamics of pop-culture with fine art traditions, and can be used as starting point for an interpretation/meaning: Diamonds are timeless and unbreakable, they are girls best friends, they are rare and precious, but for non-jewellers it is almost impossible to distinguish between a fake and a real stone.

In the same way as my art, the name plays tricks with the mind: yes, a diamond is precious, and shiny, and worth a lot, but once you’ve gone down that way a bit, you may come across the thought that Alex Diamond could also be - the name of a Porn Star, as one example. So it is shiny and dirty at the same time…

3. When and how did you start doing art? What kind of material & technique you use?

As mentioned above, I was born to do art. And that’s basically when it all started: when Alex Diamond was created and entered the stage of the fine arts world for the first time. Coming from an "upringing" in the streets and working primarily on surfaces such as concrete and bricks, painting and illustrating came first. But that phase was just for training purposes. Today I am using the materials and techniques necessary for visualizing my ideas best. It can be anything, really.

4. Since you have flexible ways of doing art, how will you define the style of your work?

Nothing is defined. Everything is possible. There are no limits, except to the eye of the “consumer”. However, at this stage it is pretty figurative because themain subjects revolve around people: Alex Diamond mirrors life and our constant fight for possession, superiority, survival and love.

5. From creating different characters for each exhibition, where do you gather the ideas? How’s your working process?

Ideas are floating aound. They come from what I see, what I experience, what I feel and what influences my existence. At one point, ideas start to battle in my head, then in my sketchbook. I draw everything down, rough and basic. Then there is always one idea or concept that is stronger than the others. And that one is then taken in to the studio and worked out to the fullest.

I don’t allow myself the luxury of taking everything I do into public, only ONE idea can survive at a time. The work process is hard. It starts with research, sketches, drawings, models, photoshootings – whatever is needed. It is very analytical and theoretical at first. There is no sleep, no rest until everything is put down on the choosen surface.

Of course, in the end there is always more you can do, but there is only one chance in life to take. So I take it as if it would be my last.

6. “I am what I choose to be or what the subject of my current artwork requests me to be.” How do you define your roles in different situation? If you are not an artist, what else option you will make for your life? What will you choose to be?

There is no other option for Alex Diamond. It is art or death.

7. From some of your works, it seems to have some depression embedded within the work. What kind of message you try to express thru your work?

Depression is probably not the word I would choose. But for example in my last series, “Gold, Kinder!”, it is a play with the german expression, “Goldkind” , which stands for a really happy and carefree kid. I combined this happy topic with lively colours, and cute characters, to lure the viewer into a comfortable scenario. But the kids or girls or men on the images aren’t happy. They are mean, or sad, or angry., or desillusioned. And the cute characters are rather nightmarish. Look behind the beauty, the first impression. If the spectator allows for the time to do this – then welcome to the world of Alex Diamond.

8. There are characters holding guns toward others? What message are you trying to transfer? Where do you get this idea?

The kids are real. They are taken from photos of american shooting ranges. In the originals, their proud Daddys are standing beside them, showing them how to hold real guns. These kids are 10, 12 years old! I have taken away the backgrounds and the Daddys. And let the kids stand for themselves, alone.

In an earlier project, the “strange Sofa”-series, I did a similar thing with images from porn shoots: I painted the actors without partners or “toys” they were engaged with. Clothed them nicely. Blended them with other people without porn background, and arranged all of them as circles of friends or individuals around a recurring sofa on 10 large tableaus. This way, people looked at them in a totally different way. Until they got the “full picture”: besides the images, there was a small slide viewer, allowing to see the original photo-collage, but only through a small screen. So as soon as the viewers looked “behind” the comfort setting, there was no way back!

It is a reversion of the reality. It is a nightmare entered on a beam of floodlights.

9. Continue from last question, what does other elements represent form the same work? (fluid kind of drawing, little creatures standing behind, etc.)

The creatures are the phantoms of our minds. They are part of the nightmare. You may think they are cute, and small, and cuddly, but you don’t want to be around to many of them. They only play a small role in my works, unlike with so many other artists these day that create unique and singular characters for graffiti or comics. Mine just come as they are needed.

The main focus will always be the “real” people in my paintings. That’s what it is all about. Everything else is just using what is popular today or helps to convey the subject. There are no limitations to what I may draw or paint!

10. From all the works you have done, which ones do you think can best represent your styles? Why?

For me, all of them are important. But I like the large works more, they are far more intense – in what they show as well in their genesis. The big ones contain all the elements of the concept, they are, if you allow for the expression, “self contained”. If I could, I would solely work in extremely huge sizes. As a result, one large work would be enough for one exhibition, for one subject to explore.

11. Which works you like the most? Which one took more time than the other?

-

12. What’s your future plan? Is there any adventure you plan to take in the near future?

The next series of paintings will come out for the art fairs the Galerie heliumcowboy artspace is taking me to this year: Cologne, Miami, maybe Berlin. They will be huge works for big cities and big heads. They will cost as much as a car and are not easy to consume. Currently I am still defining the persona of Alex Diamond for this series. Look out for it, cos this time, it will be very glamourous ….

44flavours

fresh artwork (© alex diamond) for the upcoming 44flavours issue. the magazine by the artist-collective from berlin-hamburg-bielefeld-osnabrück-ibbenbüren-whereva is due ... next month? maybe juli. it is definitely going to be a summer highlight - i had the priviledge of checking out the preview. check out more stuff by the guys at: 44flavours.de or kingdrips.de or 27-7unique.de ...

or go to their crazy myspace-world here ...