CURRICULUM VITAE (ENG)
Born in Hamburg in 1983, German artist Zeitwille is best known for his
particular portraiture technique. His portraits merge two
artistic techniques, stencilism, the urban art craft and the medieval
chiaroscuro.
His paintings are stylistically easily recognizable through his use of minimalist patterns, colour-combination featuring the human figure, horses and
nature. Zeitwille explores theme ranging from portraiture to performances and installations in public spaces as well as in museums. The artist often
provokes artistic encounters between the remains of the ancient Rome
and his paintings, by displaying them like found objects in chosen areas of
the city.
Zeitwille has barely changed main subjects in his portrait paintings throughout his artistic career. The artist has been creating over one
hundred versions of the same portrait in the last years, disclosing his own evolution process and how the same subject unfolds over time. He
refers this body of work to the extensive use of selfies and peoples’ wish to find themselves in their visual representation, particularly in social medias.
Zeitwille’s paintings leave room for interpretation. He believes that art is
happening in the viewer’s brain and heart:
„The viewer is the artist, her or his interpretations and feelings produced by their encounter with the paintings, I am just arresting the audience’s imagination. I try to explain and induce our visual world in all extremes by letting our shared human sub-consciousness be part of the process at any time”
Zeitwille’s obsession for human portraits and the continuous search for new insights, make him repeat the same portrait over and over again, always
focusing on the ever-changing emotions a single form could give to the
painting and the viewer.
His favorite forms or painting methods are the use of aerosol paint, oil and acrylic paint. One can clearly see the use glue and pigments
directly on the canvas, which the artist produces by moving and
using his hands to touch the surface, searching for the right moment, the
right movement to create the final touch.
Zeitwille reflects on his obsession for portraiture in order to express a broader message.
He states:
„We are constantly changing; we never have the same appearance even though our inner spirit stays the same. My paintings are based on the same
stencils, the same figures, still they always change when I paint them on
different surfaces, with different techniques, with different colours, in a
different mood.
This change is not complete once the painting is finished. The room, the light and the whole ‘Gestalt’-experience changes the
feeling/emotional state when you look at the painting.
And there we have another part which changes the feeling while watching the painting: it is you, your feeling, your heart, what you have learned about life.
These paintings should be like a mirror for yourself, they should give you
emotional responses, they should understand you, inspire you, be a very good friend.“
Zeitwille lives and works in Rome, Italy.
CURRICULUM VITAE (IT)
Zeitwille è nato negli anni ’80 nel Nord Europa.
Il tema comune della comunicazione umana, del simbolismo naturale e della nostra prospettiva individual-collettiva sulla realtà influenzano tuttora il suo sguardo. Il suo lavoro è costituito da dipinti, murales e installazioni, e riflette la sua ricerca artistica sul “Chiaroscuro”, il movimento Impressionista e l’arte contemporanea.
Nel 2011 frequenta assiduamente l’atelier dell’artista tedesco Fritz Fronius, dove inizia a sviluppare il proprio modo di dipingere. Durante l’apprendimento e mentre applica metodi tradizionali, fonde queste nuove intuizioni con le sue capacità di pittura a spruzzo, creando le sue prime opere su enormi superfici.
Più tardi, nel 2011, si cominciano a vedere i primi risultati dei suoi sforzi “anonimi” per le strade di Heidelberg, i quali riscuotono un’attenzione immediata da parte del pubblico.
Nel 2012 viene invitato ad esporre durante la “Lunga Notte dei Musei”, un evento d’arte regionale. Nel 2013, l’Università di Heidelberg commissiona una mostra biennale dal titolo “Everybody is an Artist” (Ognuno è un artista) per il suo edificio medievale “Zeughaus”. La mostra si concentrava, oltre ad altri temi, sull’argomento del “dialogo”, mostrando grandi ritratti uno di fronte all’altro.
Nel 2015 lascia l’Europa per andare a lavorare con giovani orfani a Brazzaville, nella Repubblica del Congo. Nel Congo, dipingeva i bambini e dipingeva con loro, creando ritratti e maschere africane. Ha poi venduto le opere e raccolto fondi per l’orfanotrofio, mostrando non solo il suo credo “Everybody is an Artist”, ma agendo altresí come piccola organizzazione umanitaria. In seguito, nello stesso anno si trasferisce a Roma e fonda, insieme all’artista romano Canz-52, un progetto artistico internazionale denominato “Arte da Rubare”. Questo progetto suscita un dibattito sull’accessibilità dell’arte contemporanea, in quanto le opere d’arte da loro create vengono esposte in spazi pubblici per essere “rubate” da qualcuno.
Nel 2017 espone la sua installazione “Regina Europa”, che tratta il tema “dell’identità globale”, al Museo d’Arte Contemporanea (MACRO).
Nel promuovere il suo amore per il caffè, ha recentemente esposto a “Sant’Eustachio il Caffé”. Nel frattempo, lavora sui suoi prossimi spettacoli e installazioni a Roma, riguardanti i temi di “animali”, “identità” e “bellezza”.
Alla ricerca del delicato rapporto tra luce e ombra, le sue opere danno spazio ad interpretazioni su forme e significati, lasciando agli spettatori liberi di elaborare le proprie idee – “Ognuno è un artista”.
Exhibitions, Installations and Interventions
2018
Visione, solo, exhibition, live painting, 28 Piazza di Pietra – Fine Art Gallery, Rome, Italy
Infinito, group, exhibition, Galleria Acronimo, Rome, Italy
2017
Premio Pittura, group, exhibition, Galleria Nardi, Rome, Italy
Eustachio, solo, exhibition, Sant’Eustachio il Caffè, Rome, Italy
Regina Europa, group, exhibition, Installation, performance, Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome, Rome, Italy
Primavera, solo, exhibition, live painting, performance, lecture, private collector, Rome, Italy
Vernissage, solo, exhibition, private collector, Rome, Italy
2016
Coffee saved my art, solo, exhibition, Sant’Eustachio il Caffè, Rome, Italy
Arte da rubare – Firenze, Siena, Lucca, group, installation, performance, Florence, Siena, Lucca, Italy
Arte da rubare – Colombia, group, installation, performance, Bogota, Santa Marta, Colombia
Arte da rubare – Regina Europa, group, installation, performance, Rome, Italy
2015
Arte da rubare – Monti, group, installation, performance, Rome, Italy
Arte da rubare – Trastevere, group, Installation, performance, Rome, Italy
Heidelberger Herbst, group, exhibition, installation, live painting, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Beneficiaries, solo, mural, United Nations World Food Programme Country Office, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
Brazzart, solo, artist residence, exhibition, live painting, performance, lecture, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
Finissage, solo, exhibition, live painting, performance, lecture, Atelier Zeitwille, Heidelberg, Germany
2014
Kunstmarkt, solo, exhibition, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Heidelberger Herbst, solo, exhibition, live painting, performance, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Vernissage Künstlermesse, group, exhibition, Schwetzinger Schloss, Schwetzingen, Germany
Im Namen der Republik, group, exhibition, live painting, performance, sound installation, DAI institute, Heidelberg, Germany
Brazza, solo, exhibition, live-painting, Les Atelier Sahm, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
Carpe Noctem, solo, exhibition, performance, installation, Peer23 gallery, Mannheim, Germany
Lebendiger Neckar, group, exhibition, live painting, Heidelberg, Germany
Romeo & Julia, group, live painting, Theater Rampig, Heidelberg, Germany
2013
Jeder Mensch ist Künstler, solo, exhibition, performance, live painting, lecture, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Heidelberger Herbst, solo, live painting, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Anderswelt –Lange Nacht der Museen, group, exhibition, performace, live painting, Alte Weinfabrik, Heidelberg, Germany
Deleta, solo, exhibition, performance, Hebelhalle Galerie, Heidelberg, Germany
2012
Heidelberger Herbst, solo, live painting, Friedrich Ebert Platz, Heidelberg, Germany
Pantha Rhei, solo, artist residence, exhibition, live painting, performance, lecture, La magarita gallery, Barcelona, Spain
Willi Bender, group, exhibition, Ministry of Culture, Heidelberg, Germany
Zeitwille – Lange Nacht der Museen, solo, exhibiton, live painting, Breidenbach Studios, Heidelberg, Germany
2011
Zeitwille die erste, solo, exhibition, Burgfreiheit, Heidelberg, Germany
Kosmodrom, group, exhibition, halle02, Heidelberg, Germany
Don't miss the next exhibition and get exclusive previews and stories about Zeitwille directly into your inbox!
Contact the management for sales, press and logistics
+39 331 220 8525 (Calls & Whatsapp)
Contact the artist Zeitwille for collaborations for exhibitions, commissions and mural interventions