I Feel Wonderful And Alive

• Undergraduate studies (Bachelor’s degree) at the University of Osnabrück: Art Education (2017–2024) /

Art History (2017–2019) / Educational Sciences (2019–2024)

• Painting tuition with Wolfgang Meluhn, Beate Freier-Bongaertz and Prof. Thomas

Rohrmann

Statement

Enrico Kosenkow is an artist living in Osnabrück, born in Damme in 1998. In 2022, he set up as a freelance artist and has since been working not only as an artist but also as an art teacher at a private art and painting school. 

The human figure is

at the centre of his painting. However, the human figure is no longer intended merely as an end in itself, but rather as a symbol of diversity and complexity. He is particularly interested in the moments where closeness and distance, strength and vulnerability, connectedness and loneliness converge. The bodies are often nude – not to provoke, but to reveal vulnerability and authenticity.

Abstract elements reinterpret these themes and invite viewers to question traditional notions and engage in a creative dialogue. The blend of realistic depictions and open areas of colour makes it possible to reveal the inner experience as well as the outer appearance.

His inspiration is mostly drawn from classical motifs in art history, which are reinterpreted in a new way and placed in a contemporary context to raise questions about identity and humanity from a modern perspective. Contemporary figures and alternative characters, such as punks, also feature as motifs.

By combining expressive, abstract surfaces with precisely modelled figures, the aim is to create a field of tension – a space in which the transitory and the idealised, the physical and the spiritual, coexist simultaneously. Past and present are meant to intersect, raising the question of what ‘being human’ means today, or rather, what unites us as human beings.

Kosenkow’s

creative process is often characterised by an apparent jumble, in which classical techniques collide with abstract, spontaneous forms of expression. This blend of order and chaos is intended to reflect the multifaceted nature of life – a life shaped by emotions and experiences that intertwine in unexpected ways.

This ‘artistic chaos’ challenges viewers by opening up space for their own interpretations and perspectives. Kosenkow invites viewers to allow their own experiences and perceptions – stories and feelings, if you will – to flow into the works, thereby entering into resonance with what they see.

Exhibitions

• Kontra (2019) – Group exhibition at the Lutherhaus, Osnabrück

• KunstRaum (2019) – Group exhibition at KunstRaum Steinfeld

• Stichpunkte (2023) – Group exhibition, Osnabrück

• HardArt (2023) – Solo exhibition at Kleine Freiheit, Osnabrück

• Creatives Bremen (2023) – Group exhibition at Filmflut, Bremen

• OHANA Atelier (2024) – Group exhibition in Osnabrück

• The Stage Gallery (2024) – Group exhibition in Bonn

• Osnabrück Culture Night – Group exhibition at Atelier D23

• Something to Do with Madness (2025) – group exhibition at the Kunstquartier (Osnabrück), BBK Osnabrück

• Discovery Art Fair Frankfurt (2025) – art fair at the Messehalle Frankfurt

Osnabrück

• Gallerie Wasser (2026) – Group exhibition in Cologne, Chasing Dreams Vol. 1

Nominations/Awards

• Art grant for Atelier D23/Studio 35 from the Ingeborg Sieber Foundation (2024/2026) 

• Art grant from the Inge Römer Foundation (2024)

• Kunstpreis Deutschland/Germany Artprize (2025) – Work: “torture me”

• Jackson’s Art Prize (2025) – Longlist