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The World Is Yours Baby | Woodcut for Jonathan LeVine Gallery

Alex Diamond: The World Is Yours BabyMulti-layered, sculptural woodcut. Wood, acrylic paint. Ca. 90 x 65 x 12 cm (35,4” x 25,5” x 4,7”), January 2017 — Alex Diamond: The World Is Yours Baby
Multi-layered, sculptural woodcut. Wood, acrylic paint. Ca. 90 x 65 x 12 cm (35,4” x 25,5” x 4,7”), January 2017

This artwork was created for the inaugural exhibition of the new Jonathan Levine Gallery in Jersey City on February 18, 2017. It is a sculptural, 4-layer woodcut, painted and brushed/sponged with acrylic paint. It was produced in Hamburg at my studio between December 27, 2016 and January 18, 2017.

The artwork tells a story of modern day life, of nature and urbanity, where a cemented world becomes the background for various smaller stories of individual human (and not so human) beings, told with lots of imagination and spurs of absurdity in mind. With the bear and the forest as other key elements, this piece is also about trying to keep a world in balance that seems to become crazier every day.

„The World Is Yours, Baby“, the title of this work, is something you‘d tell someone close to you, to inspire that person to go out and explore, create and grow. But it can also be seen as a challenge or a warning to take on responsibility and be commited.

I stop myself here from going too far into the details of, for example, all those people in the work, even though each and one of them does mean a lot to me. I do not like to give too much insight in my thought process behind my artworks, because I want to leave room to your own story to find its way into the image. One of the reasons I love to work with layers is because they create depth and hidden places, thus building spaces in the artwork that can be taken over by everyones‘ imagination. I hope you enjoy this work as much as I did creating and building it.

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If you are interested in acquiring this work, please contact sales@jonathanlevinegallery.com

The exhibition "Welcome To Jersey" opens February 18, 2017. It features an amazing line-up of artists, and I am very honored to be a part of this very special exhibition amongst Adam Wallacavage, AJ Fosik, Alessandro Gallo, Alexis Diaz, Andy Kehoe, Ashley Wood, Augustine Kofie, Beth Cavener, Camille Rose Garcia, Carlos Ramirez, Chloe Early, Cryptik, Dan Witz, Diego Gravinese, Eloy Morales, Erik Jones, EVOL, Gary Taxali, Haroshi, Hush, Jeff Soto, Jim Houser, Joel Rea, John Jacobsmeyer, Jorg Heikhaus/Alex Diamond, Josh Agle (Shag), Kazuki Takamatsu, Mab Graves, Martin Wittfooth, Mary Iverson, Matt Leines, Matthew Grabelsky, Michael Reeder, Miss Van, Nick Walker, Nychos, Phil Hale, Ron English, Shepard Fairey, Tara McPherson and Tristan Eaton.

SUPER(FAT)HEROES

These more "playful" works were created for DON‘T WAKE DADDY XI, the annual super-group -show at Galerie Feinkunst Krüger in Hamburg, curated by Heiko Müller and Ralf Krüger.

They are mounted to the wall using magnets, so they seem to „hover“ in the air like superheroes do. The distance from the wall can be varied depending on how many magnets you place between wall and artwork. The backsides of the works are painted blue & red to have a slightly different shadow.

Check for availability through sales@heliumcowboy.com

The Darwinist | new woodcut

Alex Diamond: The Darwinist (2016)woodcut, acrylic paint, 63 x 36,5 x 5,5 cm (24,8” x 14,4” x 2,2”) — Alex Diamond: The Darwinist (2016)
woodcut, acrylic paint, 63 x 36,5 x 5,5 cm (24,8” x 14,4” x 2,2”)

Let me introduce you to ‚The Darwinist‘, a strong-minded, slightly aggressive yet humble and thoughtful Wooden Being ... best spotted in the early mornings. when the air is crisp and clean. Living in the outdoors, far away from civilization but strongly connected to mankind.

First in a new line of sculptural woodcuts, this work can be mounted on a wall or placed free-standing. It consists of 2 parts that are easy to assemble - just slide the character into the base.

For the exhibition "MENSCHTIERWIR", curated by Elmar Lause at Affenfaust Galerie in Hamburg.
October 7 – November 11, 2016. Vernissage October 7, 8 PM.

First show and new artwork in 2016

Alex Diamond: Encounter at 4 am (2015)Multi-layered woodcut, acrylic paint, ca. 150 x 125 x 13 cm (59” x 49” x 12.5”) — Alex Diamond: Encounter at 4 am (2015)
Multi-layered woodcut, acrylic paint, ca. 150 x 125 x 13 cm (59” x 49” x 12.5”)

„Encounter at 4 am“ is a woodcut built from 6 layers in total, and it‘s the deepest I have created to date. It takes us far into a forest for what appears to be a rather unusual encounter between a hunter and some kind of mythical animal, resembling a man and his responsibilities in life. You could say that there are elements of inner conflict, of patience, hesitation, surprise and tension perceptible in the meeting of the two parties.

This encounter in the depth of the woods takes place in the very early hours, when the day still seems to be full of innocence and opportunity. Being an early bird myself, with my days often starting some time between 4 and 5 in the morning, I appreciate the solitude and tranquility of these moments before the world wakes up for its daily grind. It is a time you truly have to yourself. Thoughts spin slower and with more depth. Energy levels are fully charged but only used ... delicately. Creativity arises, ideas are born, but everything‘s still a bit dreamy in a softly distorted way. It is an excellent time for decision making, albeit in a rather lighthearted and slightly irrational way.

This woodcut will be first shown at the exhibition "PULS'16" at Gallery Wolfsen in Aalborg, opening January 9. (link: more info & Facebook event)

The Great Outdoors

A rather lighthearted series of three (individual) woodcuts, “The Great Outdoors” shows my deep respect for nature and wildlife as well as my desire to travel the countryside and enjoy nature’s wonders. Relaxing in in front of a crackling campfire with a few beers, a guitar and my family or my best friends is probably the closest I will ever get to so-called ‘Wellness’-activities.

These woodcuts are the outlook you have from the edge of a forest. However, these works are not just postcard images. The added warnings, albeit in an aesthetically freely interpreted version, are reminiscent of the various safety information signs in a National Park. Here, they are comments on current social behaviour … which I guess I won’t have to elaborate any further on. I am sure you’ll get the idea.

More detail images below.

These three works can be seen at "Don't Wake Daddy X". An international Group exhibition, curated bei Heiko Müller & Ralf Krüger, opening December 5 at Feinkunst Krüger Gallery in Hamburg.

Artists: Van Arno, atak, Anthony Ausgang, Dan Barry, Jana Brike, Chris Buzelli, John Casey, Victor Castillo, Paul Chatem, Brendan Danielsson, Danielle de Picciotto, Alex Diamond, Mark Elliott, Charles Glaubitz, Benjamin Güdel, Thorsten Hasenkamm, Gregory Hergert, Ryan Heshka, Femke Hiemstra, Charlie Immer, Gregory Jacobsen, Boje Arndt Kiesiel, Susanne König, Craig LaRotonda, Elmar Lause, Sean Lewis, Jon MacNair, moki, Sergio Mora, Heiko Müller, Thorsten Passfeld, Anthony Pontius, Bene Rohlmann, Wolfgang Sangmeister, Marcus Schäfer, Allison Sommers, Fred Stonehouse, Marco Wagner.

I owe you a love song / for everything I've done wrong

My most recent work: a self portrait, created on the occasion of the Elmar Lause curated group exhibition "Das eigene Ich", which opened May 16 at the new location of the Affenfaust Galerie in Hamburg St. Pauli.

44 artists were invited to present their (inner) selves in self portraits for this show (complete artist line-up and exhibition information below).

About the work

This self portrait, created between April 5 and May 9 2015, is a combination of a complex, sculptural woodwork, my trademark woodcutting technique and diverse painting and pigmenting styles. I also used resin in the structure, which not only is a new favorite in my materials palette, but also ads the necessary weight to the piece. The complexity of the work and how it was composed and created over a stretch of four weeks at my studio is an important part of my 'self' within the admittedly unusual portrait. Besides various rather personal narrative elements, followers of my work will not be surprised that there is a double team blowing the clarions, which is also a reference to the 'creation' of the Alex Diamond project over a decade ago.

This work, 170 x 130 x 10 cm large and slightly heavier than your average painting, is titled after a quote (taken out of its original context) from a Mike Patton/Tomahawk composition: 'I owe you a love song / for everything I've done wrong'. This is not necessarily simply an attempted excuse to those who still deserve one (or more) from me, but also a way of understanding the importance of making mistakes and figuring out ways of dealing with them. What could be better than writing a love song whenever you are taking the wrong turn? At the end of the day, when all goes dark, there will be no view. Only music.

This picture gallery below is a small documentation of the process involved creating the work:

'Das eigene Ich'
curated by Elmar Lause
Affenfaust Galerie
Paul-Roosen-Straße 43, Hamburg St.Pauli
www.affenfaust.de

Exhibition from May 16-June 4, 2016
featuring self portraits by these artists:

ALEX DIAMOND, ANYM, BASE 23, BENE ROHLMANN, BJÖRN HOLZWEG, BOJE ARNDT KIESIEL, CARINA CRENSHAW, COCO BERGHOLM, DANIEL FALLER, DANIEL V. EENDENBURG, DAVE THE CHIMP, ELMAR LAUSE, FABIAN WOLF, FLORIAN BREETZKE, FLYING FÖRTRESS, GOLDEN GREEN, HEIKO MÜLLER, HENNING KLES, JANA SCHUMACHER, JAYBO MONK, JOHAN SCHÄFER, JOHANNES MUNDINGER, JULIA BENZ, JULIAN GORTEN, JÖRN STAHLSCHMIDT, KI YOON KO, MAGDA KRAWCEWICZ, MARC BRONNER, MARCO WAGNER, MARCUS SCHÄFER, NONSKI, MYMO, NICOLAS FRÈMION, NIELS DE JONG, NILS KASISKE, NILS KNOTT, PATRICK FARZAR, PATRICK HENNE, PUSH, ROMAN KLONEK, SUSANNE KÖNIG, SYLVIE RINGER, ULI PFORR, VARIOUS AND GOULD, ZIPPER DIE RAKETE.

Exhibition view from the group show "Das eigene Ich" at the new location of the Affenfaust Galerie, Hamburg.

Next stop: SCOPE Art Fair Basel with heliumcowboy

From June 16 - 21 I will be in Basel, showing my woodcuts at the booth of heliumcowboy gallery at the SCOPE Art Fair. heliumcowboy is part of JUXTAPOZ PRESENTS, a curated feature program of selected galleries at the fair. If in Basel, make sure to check out Booth A17 for work by me, Julia Benz and Victor Castillo.

Obviously I will be personally present at the fair, so if you want to meet at the booth - feel free to get in touch.

more: vistor info at scope-art.com

Images from THE exhibition #PEEK at heliumcowboy

View from the group exhibition #PEEK at heliumcowboy in Hamburg. — View from the group exhibition #PEEK at heliumcowboy in Hamburg.

Images from the exhibition and the vernissage of #PEEK, an international group show taking place at the heliumcowboy gallery until end of May 2015, can be found online here. The show features the amazing talents of ADAMEVA, Julia Benz, Victor Castillo, Jo Fischer, Boris Hoppek, Elmar Lause and David Shillinglaw and should not be missed if you are in Hamburg. Head over to heliumcowboy.com for visiting times and a lot more images from the opening!

Vernissage photos by Tamara Gries

AHAB!

This is a very special work I have created during December last year live on location at the #heliumcowboytakeover of the Mercedes me Store in Hamburg (read all about this very special art project here).

It's a large painting AND woodcut on a very well crafted lightweight wooden box that was built specifically for this project. The box consists of 2 individual pieces that can be displayed together as a stand alone block (measuring 200 x 180 x 30 cm) or individually as separate hanging wall pieces. During the final week of the #heliumcowboytakeover, fellow artist Elmar Lause painted one side while I was working on the other one. Below are images from the process as well as some details of the work.

My piece is called "AHAB!", and yes, that is a Moby Dick reference combined with a warrior theme, roots growing out of a tree leg and a carved Manga style eye on what appears to be a sheep. I am happy to talk about this work with you over a coffee or drink some time. My shrink may have to be present though ;)

If you are interested in the work, together or individual, please contact me. The box with both artworks is currently displayed at the heliumcowboy artspace, if you are in Hamburg, please arrange for an appointment with the gallery to check it out.

New woodcuts: Animal Inside - Masked Hero #01 and #02

Artwork by Alex Diamond. Left: Animal Inside (Masked Hero #01: Gorilla), right: Animal Inside (Masked Hero #02: Elephant). Multi layered woodcuts, acrylic paint, resin, approximately 45 x 65 x 10 cm (2014) - click images for larger views.

These two new multi layered, sculptural woodcuts will be shown first at the international group show "Don't Wake Daddy IX", opening at Feinkunst Krüger in Hamburg on November 29 (through to December 20).

Curated by Heiko Müller and Ralf Krüger, "Don't Wake Daddy" enters its 9th year. Highfructose Magazin sums it up quite nicely: “Don’t Wake Daddy IX” is a large group show featuring 29 prominent artists influenced by the Low Brow and Pop Surrealism movements. The figurative work in the show largely borrows for pop culture and illustration, focusing on mysterious, bizarre, and often grotesque imagery."

I am very proud to be part of this very prestigious show again, this year alongside the amazing talents of Allison Sommers, Anthony Pontius, Bene Rohlmann, Boje Arndt Kiesiel, Brendan Danielsson, Brendan Monroe, Charlie Immer, Chris Buzelli, Dan Barry, Elmar Lause, Femke Hiemstra, Fred Stonehouse, Gregory Hergert, Heiko Müller, Jon MacNair, Lars Hinrichs, Marco Wagner, Marcus Schäfer, Mark Elliott, Moki, Paul Chatem, Rayk Amelang, Roman Klonek, Ryan Heshka, Scott D. Wilson, Sean Lewis and Susanne König.

More info: Galerie Feinkunst Krüger

Details of the artworks:

New woodcuts 2014 | from 'Weapons Of Mass Seduction'

Here are some of the the brand new woodcuts from my joint exhibition 'Weapons Of Mass Seduction' with fellow artist Victor Castillo in Hamburg, September 13–27, 2014.

I have added a special resin to my work materials I am using in my woodcutting, next to the blades and acrylic paint.

If you are interested in available artworks, please contact sales@heliumcowboy.com

Name one thing in this world that is not negotiable

I've been at peace with that for a very long time

Just gotta look a man in his eyes. It's all there.

Black Hole Sun I & II

Alex Diamond: Black Hole Sun IWoodcut, acrylic paint, resin, 40 x 40 x 3 cm (2014) — Alex Diamond: Black Hole Sun I
Woodcut, acrylic paint, resin, 40 x 40 x 3 cm (2014)

Alex Diamond: Black Hole Sun IIWoodcut, acrylic paint, resin, 30 x 40 x 3 cm (2014) — Alex Diamond: Black Hole Sun II
Woodcut, acrylic paint, resin, 30 x 40 x 3 cm (2014)

In the press: "Weapons Of Mass Seduction" in Hi Fructose Magazine

Great preview of "Weapons of Mass Seduction", my joint exhibition with Victor Castillo opening September 13 at heliumcowboy in Hamburg by Hi Fructose Magazine.

Click image to read the article at Hi-Fructose.com

More: Here's the link to the facebook event, and here's some additional information.

Sept 13: Weapons of Mass Seduction | Exhibition with Victor Castillo

I am very happy to announce my upcoming exhibition WEAPONS OF MASS SEDUCTION at heliumcowboy, featuring the first team-up show with Victor Castillo.

This exhibition opens September 13, 7 - 11 pm, at a temporary space in the beautifully restored Holstenhof (right around the corner from the heliumcowboy gallery space).

Exhibition runs from September 13 - 27, 2014, the opening hours during the exhibition will be announced soon.

Additionally, heliumcowboy partners with Reeperbahn Festival and will hold another public reception on Wednesday, September 17, from 7 - 11 pm.

Here's the link to the facebook event, and here's some more information:

“‘Weapons Of Mass Seduction’ is the title of the first joint exhibition of Victor Castillo and Alex Diamond (aka Jörg Heikhaus). When the two first met in 2006, Heikhaus, the founder of heliumcowboy, started to represent Victor with his gallery exclusively in Germany.

But their relationship grew larger than that, and became a friendship, and so they started developing a concept for a joint exhibition. The idea took shape when they discovered that they both share the same orientation of their artistic content: Even if they use different materials and styles to express their art (painting/Victor Castillo vs. woodcuts/Alex Diamond), they both understand themselves as visual storyteller in a pop cultural world. One very important element in both their work is the topic of seduction, their artwork deciphering the perceptual overload in everyday life. This way they uncover the seduction everyone is exposed to daily through media, social events and politics. The title of the exhibition is a direct reference to this shared approach.

’Weapons Of Mass Seduction’ is the first exhibition which gets together these two artists. The concept is developed between Los Angeles and Hamburg, the cities where Castillo and Diamond live. In order to emphasize the specific characteristic of this joint exhibition, “Weapons Of Mass Seduction“ is not shown in the space of heliumcowboy, but in an amazing location around the corner: a brand new store in the Holstenhof , a freshly renovated Art Nouveau building (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße 79-87, thanks to the kind support of ALSTRIA Office REIT AG).”

— heliumcowboy.com

These are some of the brand new works Victor and I will be showing:

Victor Castillo: Smoke in the Shadows, Acrylic on canvas, 86 x 76 cm (2014) — Victor Castillo: Smoke in the Shadows, Acrylic on canvas, 86 x 76 cm (2014)

Alex Diamond: I've been at peace with that for a very long time, Acrylic, Resin, Woodcut, 50 x 70 x 3 cm (2014)

TARGET.PRACTICE | New woodcuts for MILLERNTOR GALLERY

I have created two new woodcuts, to be shown at MILLERNTOR GALLERY #04, opening Thursday, May 29. MILLERNTOR GALLERY is a social art gallery, organized by Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli and the football club FC St. Pauli and is held annually at the Millerntor Stadium in Hamburg.

In 2012, I took part in this great project for the first time as an artist, installing the large wooden installation "WIPE OUT". For last years' MILLERNTOR GALLERY #03, instead of showing my own work I was running the arts programme as artistic director with my gallery heliumcowboy. In 2014, I passed the torch on, and instead of managing all artist and exhibition related activities and processes, returned with my artwork. These two, called TARGET.PRACTICE #1 & #2, to be precise. They were created in the weeks before the opening and were made specifically for the show, partly because they are interactive pieces ... (see below).

Please visit the website of the MILLERNTOR GALLERY and see the full program from May 29 - 31.

TARGET.PRACTICE #01 | woodcut, acrylic paint, mirror;  78 x 62 x 3 cm (2014) — TARGET.PRACTICE #01 | woodcut, acrylic paint, mirror; 78 x 62 x 3 cm (2014)

TARGET.PRACTICE #02 | woodcut, acrylic paint, mirror;  74 x 62 x 3 cm (2014) — TARGET.PRACTICE #02 | woodcut, acrylic paint, mirror; 74 x 62 x 3 cm (2014)

Here are some more images from those works. You may get the idea of why I was using a mirror in these instead of an intricate inner woodcut in the second layer ... (hint: #selfie)

You were born inside my heart | woodcut, Dec 2013

You were born inside my heart(3-dimensional) woodcut, acrylic paint, 90 x 80 x 10 cm (2013) — You were born inside my heart
(3-dimensional) woodcut, acrylic paint, 90 x 80 x 10 cm (2013)

This is a pretty new direction within my woodcuts: it‘s going three dimensional ... adding depth through installing several layers of cut out and carved wood on top of each others.

,You were born inside my heart‘, a 90 x 80 x 10 cm large, three-layer-woodcut was created just in time for Jim Avignon‘s group exhibition „Happy hour at the Hypnotist“ opening December 7, 2013, at the legendary NEUROTITAN in Berlin-Mitte.

If you can't make it to Berlin, it may be available here.