Film about the opening of my exibition at Barlach Halle K with the heliumcowboy gallery in June, 2022.
Film by Sebastian Etmer. Music by Duo Sabiar.
Find more info and images from the exhibition here and an overview of the artwork at heliumcowboy.
The catalgue is available online in the heliumcowboy shop or directly at the gallery.
Please join me for the release of the book „It's all good.", documenting my largest exhibition to date in the Barlach Halle K in June 2022. For this event we’ll publish a very exclusive and strongly limited edition with individually painted covers by me.
The presentation is embedded in a small exhibition at the heliumcowboy gallery, showing selected work from the main show at Barlach Halle K. Have some drinks with me on the opening night on Friday, October 28, from 6 to 10 pm, or visit the exhibition the two weeks after.
Please note: This first batch of the book is limited to 50! It can be pre-ordered in our shop - please follow this link.
As a little preview, you can read the foreword of the book by Melvin as well see as the first 9 pages of the book over at heliumcowboy’s news page.
Click image to pre-order your copy.
A couple of weeks now I have been working on a new direction in colors, experimenting on canvas and wood, with acrylic and oil stick and dark black Indian ink and brushes and carving knives … not complaining here but the path to new structures and evolutions in my work often goes hand in hand with an inner struggle, and during these phases I am maybe not the easiest person to be around, so I seek solitude in my studio in the North, and avoid people, but that is a conflict too, because I am a social person as well, and have a loving family, so I go around in circles somewhat and can never be really satisfied with the process (let alone the results) of my work.
But that’s okay. I think I will never be fully satisfied with my art, at least not for very long, which also is a great motivator to never stop exploring.
Foto by Julia Schwendner
I’ve made it! I went through all the great photos that were taken during my solo exhibition „It’s all good.“ that took place in June 2022. I tried to reduce the output - but I just couldn’t really. So here is a pretty exhausting look into this show that was my largest and probably most important to this day.
Besides these photos by Julia Schwendner, Eric Anders, and our very own Lucy Pfeiffer, there’s a video coming out soon as well. Also we just launched a new episode of the heliumTALK-podcast, in which Melvin and I are talking in depth about the exhibition. You can also listen to the podcast of Der Hamburger Magazin, which is released July 15 and where I speak about this show as well (both podcasts in german language).
Later this year (some time in fall) we’ll be launching a catalogue about this exhibition. Because Print is beautiful.
All the artwork and more info is on the exhibition page at heliumcowboy.
You can also find some images and videos on my instagram profile.
Thanks again to Melvin from heliumcowboy gallery, to Elvie and Angelika from Barlach Halle K, to Angela for the Dinner, to the team and helpers Lucy, Puhli, Elo, Theo, Mara, Dirk, Jana, Ronja; to the musicians Duo Sabiar & Pinewood Road, to all our guests and visitors, to the supporters and buyers, our sponsors Frida (Kappich & Piel), Birger (518 consulting), Jens (Art-Lawyer), Martin (Tesch Wein), Julia & Olli (Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei), and to Yvonne, who makes it all possible in the first place. If I forgot anyone, let me know!
All the artwork and more info is on the exhibition page at heliumcowboy.
You can also find some images and videos on my instagram profile.
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
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.
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.
… to close out the year. Most likely the last work I am carving in 2021. Like all th eother black pieces already for my big exhibition in June 2022.
I’ll keep you posted.
For this festive season, me and my friend, winemaker Dr. Martin Tesch curated a limited edition of Wine-and-Print boxes!
It is available in 2 different bundles - each consisting of six bottles of three different wines by Weingut Tesch, with labels designed by me (from my original F.T.S. artwork). One Box comes with one Print („I miss your touch“) and the other with all three prints of the labels.
Martin and I have been friends for many years and we have creatively influenced each other on the topics of art, wine, life, politics and rock music. In Spring this year I had the privilege to open an exhibition at the winery in Langenlonsheim (more about ROOTS here, video from the Zoom opening here) .
The artwork we chose for the labels are from my exhibtion F.T.S. and deal with the isolation and social estrangement of our recent times.
AVAILABLE ONLINE HERE (or at the heliumcowboy gallery)
Box #1: all six wines plus Print “I Miss Your Touch”, Edition of 60
Box #2: all six wines plus 3 Prints: “I Miss Your Touch”, „Just one Kiss“, „I want to feel you so close to me“, Edition of 30
WINES:
2 x RIESLING “T” 2020 (0,75 l) 12,5%
2 x Weissburgunder “T” 2020 (0,75 l) 13%
2 x SPÄTBURGUNDER “T” Red wine dry 2020 (0,75 l) 13%
more info: www.weingut-tesch.de
PRINTS:
Archival Pigment Prints (Giclée) on Hahnemühle Fine Art Paper
Paper size: 30 x 21 cm
Signed and numbered by the artist
Embossed with the heliumcowboy seal to ensure their authenticity
Artwork from my 2021 installation “F.T.S.” (more info)
AVAILABLE ONLINE HERE (or at the heliumcowboy gallery)
First: turn the sound on!
Something very special today - this fast forward clip from carving my most recent Alex Diamond artwork is a collaboration with the classical guitarist & chamber musician Pablo Villafuerte (@pablovillafuerteguitar on instagram), who composed the music to this video - and especially for this one. Which is so beautiful, I am truly grateful for the time and creativity (and craftsmanship!) Pablo devoted to this. Amazing. And I LOVE it so much, I hope enjoy this too, please make sure to listen till the end, it’s sooo good. 🙏❤️
The name of the piece is „Macaco“ … which is monkey in Portuguese. The artwork did not have a title yet, but since Pablo sent over the final video last night the title of the music would actually suit the carving quite well too :))
Thanks a million Pablo!!!
So I have finished this first work from the new “black series” of multi-layered woodcut-paintings … initially to be shown at my December exhibition with Victor Castillo, but hey, surprise surprise that was postponed yet again, new date to be announced. Anyway …
I am very happy with the result and am looking forward to move further with this body of work. Stay tuned.
The Balance (2021)
Cut and carved wood, acrylic paint
105 x 85 x 7,5 cm (41.4 x 33.5 x 3 inches)
Some details:
ELITE, 2021
Acrylic paint on wood with lighter in wooden frame
36.5 x 56.5 cm
check availability
These two works were included in the exhibition „Wahllokal“ that took place on Germany’s big election day September 26, 2021 at the heliumcowboy gallery. It seems that the message is clear but in reality, ELITE is not just about the upper class, but it is referring to all those multiple levels and gatekeepers we create as a society today.
This work is simple and straightforward, just sawed right out of leftover, seasoned wood at my workshop (but nicely framed though 😂). One of the intentions included is that whoever buys this goes all the way - and burns it. It’s not mandatory, but it would only be consequent. You still have a contract for the purchase and some fiery images, which is saying more about the work than the actual wooden piece … I’ll assist burning it, of course, so we can make a nice performance out of it to remember it by …
If it hasn't been purchased and burned already, you might check for its availability here.
COMPLICIT, 2021
Acrylic paint on wood in wooden frame
47 x 36.5 cm
check availabilty
A selection of my drawings were shown at paper positions Hamburg, international art fair for works on paper..
As a curated exhibition focusing on drawings, collages, and prints, 𝚙𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚐 - 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 presents 19 of Hamburg's leading galleries for contemporary art and 4 guest galleries, each showing a selected artistic position that reinterprets this classic medium.
The show took place from August 27 to 29 in the majestic corner building Brandshof, the former headquarters of inland shipping company Schlesische Dampfer Co.
Find the exhibited work and more info at the heliumcowboy website.
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.
„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
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.
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.
