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THE ARTISTS | Bořivoj Hořínek, Ostrov nad Ohři

Bořivoj Hořínek

 

Bořivoj Hořínek was born in 1948 in Vilemov in the Czech Republic. After his studies in Graphics in Prague in 1968, he went to the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he earned his Master’s Degree in Photography in 1977.

 

 

His artistic competence stretches from Photography to Video Art, to Installations and to Performance. Bořivoj Hořínek lives and works in Ostrov nad Ohři.

In his work with photography, Hořínek experiments with the manipulation of space, with perception and perspective. The artist works with the the principle of randomness and uses digital technology to record light trails and camera movements used in creating his art. He describes his photographic works with the word “recording” (creating an account) to describe the constructive dillemma when one observes the same thing several times, yet has a different perceptual experience every time.

Hořínek concentrates on installations as well as on photographic works.

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THE ARTISTS | Roman Woerndl, Berg

Roman Woerndl

 

Roman Woerndl, born in 1957 in Prien am Chiemsee, studied Architecture at Rosenheim College in 1986. From then, he worked as an independent sculptor in Munich. 2010/11 and 2012/13 he was an Artist in Residence in Yogayakarta in Indonesia. Roman Woerndl lives and works in Berg am Starnberger See.

 

Roman Woerndl’s sculptures often reflect dissonance with the landscape from which they originate: a hill at the east bank of the Starnberger Lake. His works seem to force the landscape into being depicted by geometric patterns. The observer seems to get the impression that the way we see nature is not “natural” but rather a product of culture.

Roman Woerndl’s installations and video projects are an expression of his theoretical grappling with topics such as the hubris of human beings.

The artist has two video installations on display in Wunsiedel as well as a kinetic object.

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Kick-off event for the 2018 Wunsiedel Water Games

As part of Urban Development Day, a cultural festival with a rich, diverse program took place in Wunsiedel’s Old Town on Saturday, May 12th at 6pm.

With concerts, readings, exhibits, tours, lectures and much more, the kick-off event for the 2018 Wunsiedel Water Games brought life into empty buildings.

Works from 20 selected artists will be on display from Saturday, June 16th, until Sunday, September 19th.

Froschkonzert von Peter Angermann – ein MOtiv der Wunsiedler Wasserspiele 2018
“Frog Concert” by Peter Angermann – a motif of the 2018 Wunsiedel Water Games

 

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THE ARTISTS | Alex Heil, Bergheim

Alex Heil (Foto: Dirk Behlau)

 

Alex Heil, born in 1970, studied Communication Science, Psychology, and Art Science in Essen and Liberal Arts in Darmstadt and Cologne. Today she is a Lecturer for Painting. Alex Heil lives and works in Bergheim, close to Cologne.

The artist specializes in Fine Arts and Realism and deals almost exclusively with the element of “Water”.

 

Alex Heil is fascinated by water, the antagonism and complement of motion and power. The way that water breaks up and diffuses light; “a complex aesthetic not reproducable in reality.”

The continuous thread in her compositions is the contrast between the strict geometry of a swimming pool and the organic, fluid motion of water, which distorts all shapes and straight edges into playful figures and creates a unique aesthetic which cannot be reproduced in real life. In painting, however, this limitation does not exist, and this is how Alex Heil, through her work, preserves these fleeting moments. Central elements are random, almost ornamental patterns that one would recognize, yet hardly notice.

Alex Heil secures these multi-faceted moments with her pictures, without really putting the focus on a specific object. She leaves enough leeway for one’s own interpretation, yet distances herself from it at the same time. “There is no deeper message in my works, it’s all about the aesthetic. That sounds superficial and is also meant to be so.” Look at the art, observe it, immerse yourself in it. That is what it is all about.

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THE ARTISTS | Gilbert Geister, Köln

Gilbert Geister

 

Gilbert Geister, born in 1973 in Bochum, studied Fine Arts at the College of Arts in Berlin from 1996-2000. Afterwards he received teaching appointments at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences and at the Alanus College in Alfter. In 2014 he won the Art Award from the Association of German Architects in Dortmund.

Gilbert Geister lives and works in Cologne.

 

Gilbert Geister presently concentrates on Object Painting and Drawing, with emphasis on portraits. A traditional portrait, however, becomes revised and modified through both focused and deliberate elemental ommisions, removal of parts of the medium, or through the use of LEDs, lumenescent material or kinetic elements.

Geister’s connection to painting is maintained through such projects as painting through the use of remote-controlled helicopters, machines, or balloons, which, like other spatially-concerned installations, he builds himself.

Geister incorporates audience participation in interactive projects such as his turf slingshot, a line generator, and a cable car.

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THE ARTISTS | Feng Lu, Berlin

Feng Lu

 

Feng Lu was born in 1979 in the Peoples’ Republic of China. Between 1995 and 2007, he studied visual and graphic arts in Harbin/China, Berlin, Mainz, and Halle. He also successfully completed studies at the University of Arts in Berlin with distinction. Feng Lu lives and works in Berlin.

 

 

Contextual shifts, metamorphoses, and transferrals of meaning are all Feng Lu’s specialty. No social topic is spared when he distorts human actions with angry irony. Feng Lu does not create narrations but combines fragments of situations, memories, and contemporary issues into a critical perspective on society and on being human.

His plastic figures, handmade to perfection, are witty and colorful, playful and frivolous. At the same time, he deals with a variety of motifs and pictures which are not abstract, but allow themselves to be seen from several perspectives. He combines contradictions into singularities that seem self-evident and defies natural science by crossing dimensions or cloning strange creatures.

Feng Lu is a painter as well as a sculptor and ingeniously combines both disciplines in plastic, which he creates out of clay and epoxy resin.

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Snapshots from the Kick-off Event

Snapshots of the kick-off event for the 2018 Wunsiedel Water Games for Urban Development Day on May 12, 2018, as photographed by Lena Wenz.

 

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THE ARTISTS| Matthias Berthold, Hamburg

Matthias Berthold

 

Matthias Berthold, born in Lübeck in 1964, studied Enthnology and Illustration in Hamburg. A graphic and visual artist since 1992, he received a grant from the Robert Bosch Company and was a guest artist in Ireland and Iceland, among other places. He increased his public artistic activities in 2005. Since 2007 he has developed collaborative art projects in cooperation with Andreas Schön.

 

The artist creates and executes his projects and actions from a critical social perspective. He finds that contemporary and modern art must close the gaps in social rifts instead of deepening them.

The goal is the creation of positive connections – between people, groups, places and art. Berthold’s works fulfill certain social responsibilities by being available and accessible for all people.

Liveliness and changeability are aspects of his artistic works, which bestow a human dimension to the places in which they are located. The directives that he established for the Wunsiedel Water Games are difficult to ignore.

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THE ARTISTS | Helga Lang, Hamburg

Helga Lang

 

Born in Bremen in 1961, Helga Lang studied at the College for Art and Music in Bremen from 1983 to 1988 and graduated with a degree in Free Art, Graphics and Film. From 2003 to 2013 she was a lecturer at the Academy for Fashion and Design in Hamburg.

Helga Lang lives and works as an independent artist in Hamburg. Her works can be seen individually as well as in groups.

The artist devotes herself to water as a motif in painting, photography, and space installations. Her paintings are characterized by the structure of water, sometimes calm, sometimes rough and turbulent. She employs a very special technique in recreating the water’s surface.

In searching for just the right shade of blue, Helga Lang always discovers new nuances in color. She can recreate water surfaces by dabbing enamel in a way that mimics the water’s sparkle. Depending on how the light falls, her paintings look different, just as water would, which gives off a different color blend depending on the positioning of the light source and surrounding colors.