ACT
It is essential to give back to the community that supports you. Each of my artworks is embedded in social ties, aiming to create a meaningful impact on those around me. There is no need for a commission when the intention is genuine. The first and most valuable return on investment is the gratitude that comes from witnessing the process of discovery. As Ai Weiwei puts it, “My favorite word? It’s act.” Action is fundamental to creation. Social sculpture demands a strong concept, thoughtful planning, and powerful execution. Power controls through fear, and fear is politics. By offering pleasure, joy, and knowledge, artists disrupt established power, placing themselves at the heart of politics. Contemporary art’s ongoing task is to challenge existing conditions, and resistance—whether through headwinds, exclusion, or rejection—signals that this engagement is meaningful. I echo Tania Bruguera’s words: “Feeling good is not enough: Create a political moment.” Social sculpture…
The act of St. Laurence
Even in capitalist systems, there are inalienable rights for the arts. One of these rights is the right to authorship. Who created the work, who painted or copied it, and if so, did they respect this inalienable right and properly identify the source. In photography, proof of authorship used to be possession of film, negative or slide. Today it is often the digital data set, outcropped in the highest resolution. When a photographer refers to his career and experience, he is actually referring to his archive. That is his greatest treasure, that is the foundation of his authorship. In the digital age – which will certainly also pass – analogue film is already considered old-fashioned and antiquated. Nevertheless, it still stores far more pixels per inch than modern digital cameras. The advantage lies in its easy availability and handling, not in its quality. The idea of keeping the analogue for…
U-HAFT QUEDLINGBURG – Backstage
This is the story behind the story behind a series for the international social art project ARTSURPRISE.EU. It is the story of a prison, the story of two men (both hero’s for me), working voluntarily as guides for this place, the story of the making-of of the series and the story of rejecting an offer to use contemporary art to rise more attention for this location and the people behind. I dedicate this series to my father. The 6th of October 2024 was his birthday (88 years). And what connects him to this series is his never ending love for people. Thank you for that. At all times people have done evil to other people. Many people were imprisoned innocently. So-called republic refugees were also imprisoned in the prison in Quedlinburg. These were people who simply wanted to leave the country (back then the German Democratic Republic GDR). In the…
Exploring the boundaries of a work of art
In times of linguistic confusion, accompanied by censorship and deliberate misinformation, in times when free speech and free expression are losing importance, it may seem like an undertaking to address the question of where the boundaries of a work of art lie today. But this is only an apparent contradiction. Especially in these times, artistic expression is a means of communication with great potential. One hundred years ago, the artists of DADA manifested their messages in collages and drawings, used the niche of art to express criticism that no longer wanted to be heard on the streets and squares, used the postal service to evade censorship. While digital AI may personalize this text for the interested reader, the works sent out en masse will find their way into the collective memory. But it requires careful decoding. In the post-factual era, digital appropriation helps both sides. While some use ever more…
buenavistacervera – social interaction in public spaces – enjoy the life
Social art comes on the way. The work belongs to a group of works that is oriented towards social interaction in public spaces called #buenavistacervera. From autumn 2024, many of these sculptures will be installed in public spaces in Europe. The sculpture is made out of pallet wood and therfore – in respect to nature – recycled. These sculptures will be placed in public spaces to invite random people passing by to take a seat, to relax and to enjoy a nice view. Each sculpture contains an invitation to “inter-act”. The work is a bench to sit on and at the same time a place where messages can be exchanged. Users are invited to use the bank for communication. You can leave letters and cards to friends and loved ones. You can motivate others to visit this bank (geo-tagging), search for messages or place additional messages yourself. The sculpture is…
White Dragon
In May 2024, young people and adults from Moldova, Romania, Spain and visitors from other European countries created a white dragon in Cervera del Maestre.The dragon can be found on a concrete wall in a playground in the middle of the village near the agricultural cooperative.Everyone is invited to take a selfie with the dragon and post it on social media until July 7th, 2024. A prize is offered in collaboration with the mayor’s office of Cervera del Maestre. Whoever gets the most likes and shares for their selfie wins. Details here (ESP | ENG – pdf). The story of the youth group’s visit and the story behind the White Dragon can be read here.
The freedom of art
While the offerings of religions spread before people, algorithms no longer only haunt customers but also civilians, and the restructuring of the global business model progresses, I would like to remember what gives contemporary art the strength. But freedom is not donated or given to us, freedom is something we have to get, again and again, every day. We should show it in our works. It should be motivating for what we do. Anyone who is not interested in the fears on offer remains with themselves and their power to act and create. Those who remain in love do not exhaust themselves in creative activity. Time passes quickly. The mail art is piling up in the mailbox and the production of new rubber stamps has started. Those who do not have to submit to what makes sense remain free. This is something to celebrate. So on April 24th, 2024 I…
MUARCO – the eternal archive
Mail art artists are constantly working on their art. This is driven by the desire to network through the exchange of contemporary art, to place one’s message and to perceive oneself by reflecting on the impact of one’s own actions.As a mail art artist, I receive works from all over the world. The flow of this contemporary art is a constant one. As an artist, my options are limited. That’s why I’m handing over all (!) preserved works to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MUARCO). As an innovative contemporary participant in the art scene, this museum has chosen a special way to develop its archive. It gives away this art. In connection with mail art campaigns by contemporary artists, the works are distributed to people who are interested in contemporary art in general and in mail art in particular.The mail art scene delights in the constant repetition of the mantra:…
LO SIENTO MUCHO – I AM SO SORRY
This is a story inside a story inside a story inside a story. And i am so sorry. You have to read it till the end, to get it all…enjoy! Every story begins with ourselves. Even when we are listening to another telling us their story, we are surrounded by our interpretation of their story. The only thing we can comprehend is our own imagination, our thoughts. Maybe your story starts like this: You look at your smartphone. You have read a text, found and used a QR code, and now you are interested to see what kind of story it is. And at the same time the other stories of your life are pushing into your consciousness and struggling for attention. So it is important to assess whether you want to stay with this story or rather switch to the next one. You scroll a bit to estimate how…
artefact – we act – insight on backstage
Whenever people experience themselves in social art projects, they experience the – common – moment of doing, of action. Then they connect the work with what they have experienced themselves. One’s own action is perceived as spontaneous, direct and immediate. Attention is focused on the moment.Nevertheless, there is always a story before the story, a story of the idea, the concept, the preparation.This is the story of the preparation of the series “ARTEFACT – WE ACT DADA 2023” for the art project ARTSURPRISE. The story begins in spring 2023 with a call from a dispatcher at a wood processing company. He asks if there is interest in a larger quantity of prefabricated olive wood sticks. A customer dropped out and now you have this batch in stock.At the same time, there was the concept of a series of stamps that should be conveyed to people interested in art via ARTSURPRISE.…
