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In the press: Alex Diamond for 'Artists for Geberit' | Win exclusive bathroom luxury edition

Feature in german magazine 'Places of Spirit' about my exclusive art edition for the project 'Artists for Geberit'.

Happy to announce my participation in „Artist for Geberit“, a new project by Geberit and heliumcowboy. You can win my artwork exclusively printed (only once!!!) on the glass surfaces of the Geberit „Monolith“ toilet and washbasin modules - here’s a link to more information and how to take part.

Also I am stoked about the other artists that will be creating work for "Artists for Geberit": Julia Benz & Jeff Soto! Their artwork will follow in July & August (stay tuned).

Below are some images from my designs and the development process as well as some mock-ups with the luxury bathroom elements you can win.

Images from THE exhibition #PEEK at heliumcowboy

View from the group exhibition #PEEK at heliumcowboy in Hamburg. — View from the group exhibition #PEEK at heliumcowboy in Hamburg.

Images from the exhibition and the vernissage of #PEEK, an international group show taking place at the heliumcowboy gallery until end of May 2015, can be found online here. The show features the amazing talents of ADAMEVA, Julia Benz, Victor Castillo, Jo Fischer, Boris Hoppek, Elmar Lause and David Shillinglaw and should not be missed if you are in Hamburg. Head over to heliumcowboy.com for visiting times and a lot more images from the opening!

Vernissage photos by Tamara Gries

New woodcut: F***, I am talking about my feelings here.

Alex Diamond: Fuck, I am talking about my feelings here. (2015) Woodcut, acrylic paint, 50 x 30 x 9 cm — Alex Diamond: Fuck, I am talking about my feelings here. (2015)
Woodcut, acrylic paint, 50 x 30 x 9 cm

Okay, here's a new angle ... working with type, working with symbols and techniques found in advertising, working with pop related quotes from TV shows ... I'll venture more into this during this year so keep in touch.

Below are some more details of the work, and If you wish to inquire about availability of this woodcut, please check out this link (to heliumcowboy).

Alex Diamond on Artvergnuegen.com

artvergnuegen.com is a new online gallery that was launched just recently. I am honored to be one of the first artists the curators invited for this project, and you can find a long interview and a video feature alongside some of my artwork for sale (exclusively) on the site.

Other artists already on artvergnuegen.de include the likes of Dave the Chimp and Various & Gold, and I have already learned from exciting other names that will be integrated shortly.

artvergnuegen.com

Photos & Video © artvergnuegen.de

In the press: Feature in MB! Magazine & IGNANT

Freshly online: Two features with insights into my studio and my art. Photo by Lukasz Wolejko-Wolejszo — Freshly online: Two features with insights into my studio and my art. Photo by Lukasz Wolejko-Wolejszo

"A prime mover in Hamburg’s art scene, Jörg Heikhaus remains remarkably down-to-earth. We join the artist, gallery owner and dad for a day in his city to find out more about his unusual practice, his mysterious alter ego, Alex Diamond, and the much-loved heliumcowboy exhibition space."

Great feature about me, my life and my art. And a great way to finding out what's up with heliumcowboy. Plus beautiful studio and Hamburg impressions by photographer Lukasz Wolejko-Wolejszo!

Continue reading here: mb! Magazine (by Mercedes Benz) or here: IGNANT

AHAB!

This is a very special work I have created during December last year live on location at the #heliumcowboytakeover of the Mercedes me Store in Hamburg (read all about this very special art project here).

It's a large painting AND woodcut on a very well crafted lightweight wooden box that was built specifically for this project. The box consists of 2 individual pieces that can be displayed together as a stand alone block (measuring 200 x 180 x 30 cm) or individually as separate hanging wall pieces. During the final week of the #heliumcowboytakeover, fellow artist Elmar Lause painted one side while I was working on the other one. Below are images from the process as well as some details of the work.

My piece is called "AHAB!", and yes, that is a Moby Dick reference combined with a warrior theme, roots growing out of a tree leg and a carved Manga style eye on what appears to be a sheep. I am happy to talk about this work with you over a coffee or drink some time. My shrink may have to be present though ;)

If you are interested in the work, together or individual, please contact me. The box with both artworks is currently displayed at the heliumcowboy artspace, if you are in Hamburg, please arrange for an appointment with the gallery to check it out.

New Print: Hase+Igel

'Hase+Igel', a new 6-color Alex Diamond silkscreen print, is available online here. — 'Hase+Igel', a new 6-color Alex Diamond silkscreen print, is available online here.

Available now at the heliumcowboy online-store: 'Hase+Igel', a high quality limited edition silkscreen print commemorating my 2014 art project "Geberit Water Lounge" for the Stefan Marquard-Restaurant Hase+Igel in Düsseldorf (read more about this here).

Details:

6-color silkscreen print on St. Cuthberts Mill Somerset Paper, Satin 315 msg, 36 x 50 cm
Handprinted by Dolly Demoratti / Motherdrucker.de
Released by heliumcowboy in December 2014, with the kind support of Geberit.

You can buy it here.

The mud and the blood and the beer ...

'The mud the blood and the beer' - my T-shirt design for Hamburg based craft brewery Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei is available online (click image to visit the online store).

Those of you who know me most likely are aware of the fact that I have been a fiery advocate for the return of great beer in Germany for a very, very long time. Well, it is happening. What has been aptly labeled as the "Craft Beer Revolution" is in full effect in our country, and I feel privileged to seeing it grow close up from the early beginnings over the past few years.

By now there are many great new brewers and breweries and superb craft beers in Germany. And more will come. However, my favorite brewery is my friend's Oliver Wesseloh's Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei from Hamburg. A lot has been said and published about Olli and his amazing beer, and you can get a glimpse of the praise and attention that the "World Champion of Beer Sommeliers" has been getting lately by visiting the brewmasters' website - or simply google him. He makes sensational beer and taught me many things about my preferred drink.

I am extremely proud that I have been asked to design one of the two very first Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei T-shirts. My design is paying tribute to great beer and some of the coarser circumstances that we like to drink it under, and quotes an all-time favorite Johnny Cash song: 'A boy named Sue'. Maybe a bit hard to read in its (late) 60ies inspired colors and the hand drawn type, the text on the front says "The mud the blood and the beer" - a line from the song.

And you all know I like to get my hands dirty, work hard and fight - and what could be better than already holding a Prototyp or SHIPA in one of them ...

Support the Craft Beer revolution and go get yours, this first edition is pretty rare! There is a limited amount of shirts available at the heliumcowboy online store, but you can also order them via the Kehrwieder Brewery website if the shop should run out of your size.

Klaas Twiemeyer wearing his T-shirt for Kehrwieder Brewery. Also available at their website.

PS: The second Kehrwieder-shirt has been designed by Klaas Twietmeyer (formvermittlung.de), is at least as beautiful as mine and also available at the Kehrwieder website. The shirts are printed by dreihundertprozent.de on fair traded and ecologically correctly grown 100% cotton.

New woodcuts: Animal Inside - Masked Hero #01 and #02

Artwork by Alex Diamond. Left: Animal Inside (Masked Hero #01: Gorilla), right: Animal Inside (Masked Hero #02: Elephant). Multi layered woodcuts, acrylic paint, resin, approximately 45 x 65 x 10 cm (2014) - click images for larger views.

These two new multi layered, sculptural woodcuts will be shown first at the international group show "Don't Wake Daddy IX", opening at Feinkunst Krüger in Hamburg on November 29 (through to December 20).

Curated by Heiko Müller and Ralf Krüger, "Don't Wake Daddy" enters its 9th year. Highfructose Magazin sums it up quite nicely: “Don’t Wake Daddy IX” is a large group show featuring 29 prominent artists influenced by the Low Brow and Pop Surrealism movements. The figurative work in the show largely borrows for pop culture and illustration, focusing on mysterious, bizarre, and often grotesque imagery."

I am very proud to be part of this very prestigious show again, this year alongside the amazing talents of Allison Sommers, Anthony Pontius, Bene Rohlmann, Boje Arndt Kiesiel, Brendan Danielsson, Brendan Monroe, Charlie Immer, Chris Buzelli, Dan Barry, Elmar Lause, Femke Hiemstra, Fred Stonehouse, Gregory Hergert, Heiko Müller, Jon MacNair, Lars Hinrichs, Marco Wagner, Marcus Schäfer, Mark Elliott, Moki, Paul Chatem, Rayk Amelang, Roman Klonek, Ryan Heshka, Scott D. Wilson, Sean Lewis and Susanne König.

More info: Galerie Feinkunst Krüger

Details of the artworks:

Cover art for the Mercedes Mixed Tape #59

My cover artwork for the Mercedes Mixed Tape #59, released November 7, 2014. © Artwork & Photography by Alex Diamond

I was very honored for being asked to contribute the cover artwork for the famous Mercedes Mixed Tape! The original work I created for the edition #59 was drawn over a very personal photograph, something I usually never do but in this case it was just too tempting to resist: the picture was taken several years ago on a vacation with my family, riding around the beach in our Mercedes Benz 230S (built 1967, in my ownership since 1997).

The music compilation featuring this cover went online November 7, 2014, and can be downloaded here.

New project: The Water Lounge for Hase+Igel in Düsseldorf

Water & sanitation ist most important: 'inside' my work for 'Hase + Igel', a new restaurant by celebrity chef Stefan Marquard in Düsseldorf. With superkind support by Geberit. © Alex Diamond for Geberit & Hase + Igel — Water & sanitation ist most important: 'inside' my work for 'Hase + Igel', a new restaurant by celebrity chef Stefan Marquard in Düsseldorf. With superkind support by Geberit.
© Alex Diamond for Geberit & Hase + Igel

I have been spending some time this summer working on a great project, and this past week I actually went to Düsseldorf to paint on location: at the construction site of 'Hase + Igel', the new restaurant of celebrity chef Stefan Marquard.

Earlier this year I had been asked by Stefan and Geberit, the european market leader in sanitary technology, to develop and execute an artistic concept for the bathroom facilities of the restaurant. The restrooms are equipped with Aqua Clean shower toilets and beautiful, high-end luxury modules by Geberit (called 'Monolith'), which I included in my design, using silkscreen printing on the glass parts. The entry and hallway in front of the bathrooms underwent a massive paint job I did using aerosol (by Montana cans), markers (by Molotow) and acryllic paint (by Lascaux).

Now the whole environment is called the 'Geberit Water Lounge' - and it is absolutely not your average restroom anymore ...

The restaurant will open Saturday, Oct 18, and if you are the area I hope you can check it out. It is definitely a very different culinary and aesthetic experience. And I mean this only in the best way! Stefan Marquard and his whole crew certainly know the meaning of Punk, and are living the Rock'n Roll life, be it in or out of the kitchen ...

Weapons of Mass Seduction | Video from the exhibition

Super excited: The video from the exhibition WEAPONS OF MASS SEDUCTION by Victor Castillo & me just launched! Check it out!

A million Thank You's for the exceptional work goes out to master filmmaker Tobias Sundermann and Kool Motion Pictures!!!

And another very big thank you of course to Nitro 17 & Jo Fischer for the Soundtrack!

We ain't in Alaska ... | woodcut, Aug–Sept 2014

Alex Diamond: (We ain‘t in Alaska, but) It appears to me that the dark has a lot more territory. Multi-layered woodcut, acrylic paint, 120 x 160 x 10 cm (2014) — Alex Diamond: (We ain‘t in Alaska, but) It appears to me that the dark has a lot more territory.
Multi-layered woodcut, acrylic paint, 120 x 160 x 10 cm (2014)

This is the biggest woodcut to date that I created using multiple layers of wood - these works are very sculptural and deep, but still wall mounted. 'We ain't in Alaska..." took 4 weeks to be completed. As usual with my woodcuts, it is extremely difficult to judge them when you are not looking at the originals - it is very difficult to capture the depth and the craftmanhip involved from a jpeg. Well, here's some more details, they may help.

New woodcuts 2014 | from 'Weapons Of Mass Seduction'

Here are some of the the brand new woodcuts from my joint exhibition 'Weapons Of Mass Seduction' with fellow artist Victor Castillo in Hamburg, September 13–27, 2014.

I have added a special resin to my work materials I am using in my woodcutting, next to the blades and acrylic paint.

If you are interested in available artworks, please contact sales@heliumcowboy.com

Name one thing in this world that is not negotiable

I've been at peace with that for a very long time

Just gotta look a man in his eyes. It's all there.

Black Hole Sun I & II

Alex Diamond: Black Hole Sun IWoodcut, acrylic paint, resin, 40 x 40 x 3 cm (2014) — Alex Diamond: Black Hole Sun I
Woodcut, acrylic paint, resin, 40 x 40 x 3 cm (2014)

Alex Diamond: Black Hole Sun IIWoodcut, acrylic paint, resin, 30 x 40 x 3 cm (2014) — Alex Diamond: Black Hole Sun II
Woodcut, acrylic paint, resin, 30 x 40 x 3 cm (2014)

In the press: "Weapons Of Mass Seduction" in Hi Fructose Magazine

Great preview of "Weapons of Mass Seduction", my joint exhibition with Victor Castillo opening September 13 at heliumcowboy in Hamburg by Hi Fructose Magazine.

Click image to read the article at Hi-Fructose.com

More: Here's the link to the facebook event, and here's some additional information.

Sept 13: Weapons of Mass Seduction | Exhibition with Victor Castillo

I am very happy to announce my upcoming exhibition WEAPONS OF MASS SEDUCTION at heliumcowboy, featuring the first team-up show with Victor Castillo.

This exhibition opens September 13, 7 - 11 pm, at a temporary space in the beautifully restored Holstenhof (right around the corner from the heliumcowboy gallery space).

Exhibition runs from September 13 - 27, 2014, the opening hours during the exhibition will be announced soon.

Additionally, heliumcowboy partners with Reeperbahn Festival and will hold another public reception on Wednesday, September 17, from 7 - 11 pm.

Here's the link to the facebook event, and here's some more information:

“‘Weapons Of Mass Seduction’ is the title of the first joint exhibition of Victor Castillo and Alex Diamond (aka Jörg Heikhaus). When the two first met in 2006, Heikhaus, the founder of heliumcowboy, started to represent Victor with his gallery exclusively in Germany.

But their relationship grew larger than that, and became a friendship, and so they started developing a concept for a joint exhibition. The idea took shape when they discovered that they both share the same orientation of their artistic content: Even if they use different materials and styles to express their art (painting/Victor Castillo vs. woodcuts/Alex Diamond), they both understand themselves as visual storyteller in a pop cultural world. One very important element in both their work is the topic of seduction, their artwork deciphering the perceptual overload in everyday life. This way they uncover the seduction everyone is exposed to daily through media, social events and politics. The title of the exhibition is a direct reference to this shared approach.

’Weapons Of Mass Seduction’ is the first exhibition which gets together these two artists. The concept is developed between Los Angeles and Hamburg, the cities where Castillo and Diamond live. In order to emphasize the specific characteristic of this joint exhibition, “Weapons Of Mass Seduction“ is not shown in the space of heliumcowboy, but in an amazing location around the corner: a brand new store in the Holstenhof , a freshly renovated Art Nouveau building (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße 79-87, thanks to the kind support of ALSTRIA Office REIT AG).”

— heliumcowboy.com

These are some of the brand new works Victor and I will be showing: