Pubertärer Elektrizismus
| Edition | Original Art |
|---|---|
| Sujet | Abstract |
| Technique | Painting |
| Height | 240 cm |
| Width | 160 cm |
| Length/Depth | 3 cm |
Medium:
Oil, acrylic and varnish on canvas
Technique:
Painting with brush, oil paint, spray, squeegee, sander
Shipping:
The work is shipped stretched on a stretcher frame – including a certificate of authenticity and signature on the reverse.
The work ‘Pubertärer Elektrizismus’ is eclectic yet electric. A painting that combines the unbridled force of adolescent outbursts of rage and the venting of exuberant energy with the colour palette of 1990s hairdressing salons. Countless layers of reworking reveal a textured quality in the paint and introduce a distinct aesthetic dimension of materiality. In places, the layers have been sanded down by machine to reveal what lay beneath. Delicate colour gradients are intersected by dripping paint. Speed and process are visible throughout. It was great fun, albeit at times an absolute struggle. The painting probably incorporates a good 15–20 iterations and took nearly three years from the initial colour application to the final brushstroke.
Daniel Wöllenstein
Lives and works in Cologne.
Artistic career
Education
2002–2009 Studied art at the University of Cologne under Rainer Barzen and Silke Leverkühne
Since 2007: Studio at KunstWerk Cologne
Exhibitions (selection)
2007 Blaumachen, KunstWerk Cologne
2008 ‘Bogen 2: Straight from the HART’ –
2008 Long Night of the Museums – ‘Festive Processions and Diodramas’
2008–2009 ‘Darwin – Design and Creation of a KVB Tram’ to mark Darwin Year 2009, in collaboration with students from the University of Cologne
2011 “Fette Nager – Bello and I” – Museum Night – KunstWerk Cologne
2016 nxnw Festival collaboration with Slobodan Kajkut “20 Interventions”
2016 “Raum 500” – exhibition with Olga Jakob and Heike Simmer – nxnw Festival
2017 “HORST” – KunstWerk Köln
2014–2017 Board member at KunstWerk Köln e.V.
2017 Chairperson of KunstWerk Köln e.V.
2019 Long Night of Museums “Wedding” – installation and collaboration with Heike Simmer
2021 TUNING – KunstWerk
2025 afternoonprojekts with Tom Gully, Oskar Lovis and Gilbert Flöck – KunstWerk Cologne
2026 Fragmented Realities – vonfraunberg Art Gallery, Düsseldorf
2026 Artist of the Month at SKM
Upcoming
June SKM Pop-up Exhibition, Munich
August: SKM Community Exhibition, Leipzig
Artist Statement
What’s it about? The works are taken from the ‘TUNING’ series – spanning the period from 2018 to the present day, although the pure colour segments have only come to dominate the ‘TUNING’ series since 2021. The focus is on a gradual abstraction and reduction of the pictorial content, whilst references to natural and man-made phenomena can be found in the colour and form compositions.
Within the seemingly equal segments, compositions of colour and form can create foregrounds and backgrounds that shift fluidly depending on the viewer’s focus. The play of light, which can be intensified by contrasting colour gradients to the point of ‘glow’, contributes to the sometimes sculptural impact of the works.
Digital colour selection scales, flip-flop paint finishes from tuned sports cars, sunsets, heavy industry, space and reflections in coffee can all find their way into the colour compositions.
