Kunst Kompetenz Petra Kern

Markus Magenheim studied art in Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. He lives and works today near Heidelberg. For his figurative works he uses watercolor and thereby exclusively the color "Caput Mortuum". The choice of this color supports the intention of the artist. In his figurative painting, he likes to focus on individual body parts of the depicted persons, which are expressive of the inner state of mind: Face, hands and other body parts. The viewer's attention automatically shifts to what is visible, precisely that which, for the artist, reflects the essence of the character depicted. This brings us very close to the person depicted, almost too close with what we see and feel. Great fine watercolor painting with high expression that definitely leaves an impression

“Human behavior is the main point of reflection in much of my work. I am interested in the way in which people’s past defines them, and how it gradually becomes like sediment as time goes by, continuously in our memory, mostly shaping us into what we are today, now. Our personal experiences are not the only occurrences that shape us into what we are, how we react to situations and how we evolve. History as we know it is also part of our past; therefore, it also conditions us.
My work process begins in a very sensory way. I usually collect images that in some way impact me visually. A poster on the street, a photo in a magazine, or simply surfing the Internet can serve as a source of inspiration. I appropriate these images; recontextualize them within my work, taking advantage of the metaphor to give it a new connotation in a new visual environment. Pretending to create a starting point for new stories and thus demystifying the real story behind each of these images. I also attempt to create situations that lead to reflections on human beings as containers of their own story, but in an intimate way; starting from the premise that everything we consume of the world at first sight works as a kind of mirage. When we observe someone, we perceive features of their physical appearance, but their actions are what define them as a person”.
Dayron Gonzalez, Miami, October 2020

Jürgen Heinz, a metal sculptor, studied between 1989 and 1995 and trained as a Metal Designer in Germany and Switzerland. He graduated as a Master Metal Designer from the Werkakademie, Kassel in 1995 where he also gave lectures. In 1997 Jürgen Heinz, who lives in Darmstadt, set up his own artist´s studio for metal sculpture in Lorsch, Germany. Jürgen Heinz is a member of the International Association of Sculptors, Sculpture Network and a member of BBK, the German Association of artists.
With his MOVING SCULPTURES, the artist transcends the insurmountable gap between archaic, heavy steel and gentle movement. The objects conceal their mobility in a closed form, which is first perceived as static plastic. A light impulse, a touch, or a breath of wind brings the sculpture to swing and awakens its vitality. The MOVING SCULPTURES by Jürgen Heinz communicate with the viewer, touch, pull in spell and call for action.

Between 1987 and 1992, Jonathan Huxley studied at Nottingham Trent University and the Royal Academy of Arts, London, where he still lives and works. His weak vision and sensitivity to light led to him painting in the dark under fluorescent light with fluorescent colours. Here he developed his best ideas - filtered out memories in silent meditation without distraction, leading to the abstraction of human and natural events. The human being is the focus, and perceived from a bird's eye view, in his constant repetition of arbitrary gestures and movements, Huxley sends the beholder`s eyes on a journey into his minimalist composition of bizarre, seductive and graceful creatures.

Jérôme Lagarrigue graduated in his studies of illustration in Rhode Island School of Design. Since then he has been represented at numerous international exhibitions and awarded with various prizes. Through his works he is permanently questioning. Born to a French father and an American mother he represents two cultures – both Europe and America. This balancing act between two worlds is the core and source of strength in his work. This is disclosed in his paintings in a constant confrontation with the screen and the figures who he reveals closely, relentlessly and without distance. The paintings by Jérôme Lagarrigue, who resides and works in Brooklyn, New York powerfully captivate a room’s atmosphere. His “close ups” mirror humanity and beauty, but also vulnerability. Light and shadow, focused scenes and abstracted parts being brought together become a synthesis, a total piece of art with unbelievable expression.
Lagarrigue is represented in numerous collections, such as Georges Lucas (Project in 2010 in memory of the Starwars trilogy) Blake Byrne, Swizz Beats, Alicia Keys, Peggy Cooper Cafritz, Carmelo Anthony, Peter Berg, Reginald Lewis. 

Trained in Yerevan, Armenia, the State Academy of the Arts, Tbilisi, Georgia, as well as in the restoration division of the Georgian National Museum of Art, Karen Shahverdyan moved to Darmstadt in 1999, where he has since worked as a freelance artist. Karen Shahverdyan is proficient in the styles and techniques of the old masters yet takes a modern approach in which the mastery of the trade is not at the fore but is rather a tool with which to express new content in his works. He departs from conventional painting and experiments with real visual elements such as landscapes, architecture, the sky, or people, and draws on symbols which he then combines in an unconventional manner to generate expressive images.

Since 1992, as a freelance artist, Stefanie Welk has primarily been working with the materials steel and wire, which she transforms into a plastic shape by bending, knotting, and welding. She lives and works in Mannheim. From 1992 to 1999, she studied psychology at the University of Heidelberg. Her vested interest was in the human nature. From her causal study of the representation of people, she expanded her work by dealing with the interaction between humans and space. The artistic perspective considers both the social as well as the metaphorical space that is characterised by movement and dynamics as much as it is by force fields and power lines.