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Everything must end some day: Finissage February 29!

It has been a wonderful couple of weeks (months really ;)) since my latest exhibition ”They all must be slaughtered” was opened in December 2023. Now it all comes to an end:

Please celebrate with me the Finissage of this very special show

on Thursday, February 29, from 5 - 9 pm

at The MISSION by heliumcowboy
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Str. 87, 20355 Hamburg.

Apart from this event, you can visit Wednesdays - Fridays 2 – 6 pm.

Below are some new images from the new works we released last week during the exhibition. And for all the imformation about the show - continue to read here!

All about: 'THEY ALL MUST BE SLAUGHTERED' Exhibition

Ok. Got four minutes and your speakers on? Above is a walkthrough of my new exhibition, including sound. You really should watch till the end (surprise awaits). This is how my new show „They all must be slaughtered“ is presented at The MISSION by heliumcowboy.

The song „They all must be slaughtered“ by the Melvins runs on constant repeat (from Vinyl), and together with the light setting it creates the unique, dark and apocalyptic athmosphere I wanted for this exhibition, which is more like a play on a stage than just a show of artworks.

Continue reading (and view more images from the exhibition and the opening)

Exhibition until March 2, 2024
Open wednesdays - fridays 14 – 18 h

Exhibition Location:
The MISSION by heliumcowboy
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße 87, Hamburg

STORM

Storm (2023)
Carved wood, acrylic paint
30 x 50 x 3 cm

This year will be a lot about waves and the forces of nature with me.

What becomes of the brokenhearted (2023)

“What becomes of the brokenhearted”

50 x 30 x 3 cm Carved wood, acrylic paint
 May 2023

Mountain to Surf II

Be patient, this video is a bit longer. BUT ☝️:

this is the Work In Progress-(also know as „Jörg in Progress“) Video from me working on this massive woodcut (only the carving part). Like one week of sharp blades in 3 minutes. I hope you make it through.

Also: I recorded this cover of Townes van Zandt’s „Colorado Girl“ back in summer 2020 outdoors on the porch of our country house in the North, so you may be hearing some birds singing along. Play it loud, as all music should be.

Take some time out, and enjoy.

Mountain to Surf II (2023)
Woodcut, Acryllic paint, 70 x 100 x 3 cm.

"Seen through the waves"

First work of the year is always something special:

Seen through the waves (January 2023)
Woodcut, acrylic paint, 40 x 50 x 3 cm

check availabilty sold

Tiny bit of the WIP. More on my Instagram

Experiments in Technicolor

A couple of weeks now I have been working on a new direction in colors, experimenting on canvas and wood, with acrylic and oil stick and dark black Indian ink and brushes and carving knives … not complaining here but the path to new structures and evolutions in my work often goes hand in hand with an inner struggle, and during these phases I am maybe not the easiest person to be around, so I seek solitude in my studio in the North, and avoid people, but that is a conflict too, because I am a social person as well, and have a loving family, so I go around in circles somewhat and can never be really satisfied with the process (let alone the results) of my work.

But that’s okay. I think I will never be fully satisfied with my art, at least not for very long, which also is a great motivator to never stop exploring.

UPDATE 12/2022:

All available original color works are now in my online portfolio at heliumcowboy.

UPDATE 01/2023:

Now exploring the world of NFT’s with these babies, find them here.

Alex Diamond (wood) & Pablo Villafuerte (guitar): MACACO

First: turn the sound on!

Something very special today - this fast forward clip from carving my most recent Alex Diamond artwork is a collaboration with the classical guitarist & chamber musician Pablo Villafuerte (@pablovillafuerteguitar on instagram), who composed the music to this video - and especially for this one. Which is so beautiful, I am truly grateful for the time and creativity (and craftsmanship!) Pablo devoted to this. Amazing. And I LOVE it so much, I hope enjoy this too, please make sure to listen till the end, it’s sooo good. 🙏❤️

The name of the piece is „Macaco“ … which is monkey in Portuguese. The artwork did not have a title yet, but since Pablo sent over the final video last night the title of the music would actually suit the carving quite well too :))

Thanks a million Pablo!!!

First work of the black series: "The Balance"

So I have finished this first work from the new “black series” of multi-layered woodcut-paintings … initially to be shown at my December exhibition with Victor Castillo, but hey, surprise surprise that was postponed yet again, new date to be announced. Anyway …

I am very happy with the result and am looking forward to move further with this body of work. Stay tuned.

The Balance (2021)
Cut and carved wood, acrylic paint
105 x 85 x 7,5 cm (41.4 x 33.5 x 3 inches)

Some details:

F.T.S. Installation & exhibition "In other words: <_blank>"

My installation F.T.S. at heliumcowboy. Click the image to visit the gallery website including the work.

Just some quick images from my installation at heliumcowboy as part of the triple header exhibition “In other words: <_blank>” with Jens Rausch and Boris Hoppek.

The opening was awesome. If you missed it, there’s a Catalogue Release Reception June 25, 17:00 – 21:00. Also the gallery is open Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 13:00 – 19:00, and by appointment. You can get in touch with Melvin here.

Below these wonderful photos by Julia Schwendner (thisisjulia.de) you can find my artist statement about the installation.

ARTIST STATEMENT

„I think my work is influenced by the fact that we're living in dangerous times. If I could put it in a sentence, in fact, my work is about just that: living in dangerous times.“ Don DeLillo

Well. I know. I am a fucking artsy smartass, quoting Don DeLillo. But hey, it is true, we are living in dangerous times, and that not just depends on where you’re socially located - at the bottom of the food chain, or on top of the money making game. Capitalism probably has never been easier to understand because its effects are so blatantly visible and so shamelessly displayed.

I absolutely relate my work and especially this series to DeLillo’s source for inspiration. And the danger I am referring to is not just a matter of perspective as stated above. I personally feel that despite the fact that every minute, every second of the day any possible opinion is posted to potentially everybody who is able to hold a smartphone (yes, you don’t even have to be able to read, images are feeding your thoughts just the same), our reactions are dulled and our survival instincts have been drowned by convenience.

In 2005 DeLillo also said that „writers must oppose systems. It's important to write against power, corporations, the state, and the whole system of consumption and of debilitating entertainments [...] I think writers, by nature, must oppose things, oppose whatever power tries to impose on us."

Replace „writers“ with „artists“, add Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok etc. to the list of „debilitating entertainments“ - and there you go. I agree 100% with the wise man on this.

I have always been a politically active person. I have been at least in parts radicalized in my youth, which was a very good time for it because the issues and problems then required action, the same as today but still very different. Getting older, I never ceased to speak my mind and express my often strong and - subjectively seen - alert and vigilant opinion. But I have also been domesticated by life, by choices, by the environment. In my art career, which by now spans several decades, I have been tempted as well to go for the aesthetics and fashion. It is an easy trap to fall into if you are trying to make a living with this shit. It is even worse today where likes and followers are treated as some kind of currency by a social media driven society.

But for many years now I have worked hard to come up with my very own aesthetics and with unique techniques of visual storytelling to find my very personal and individual way to express my concerns, my cares, my love for nature and humanity and my rage towards greed, oppression and intolerance. It is through working with wood and construction and carving with sharp blades and heavy paint and hard work and solid craftsmanship and absolute dedication that I try to create artworks that matter and that are expressive and political.

I believe art can be a beacon to shine a spotlight on society and our lifes, and a flag to be raised in battle. It can be more subtle than a punch in the face or the burning of police cars, but it has the same potential to raise awareness.

This is what I want my voice to be in this crazy, messed up, violated and fucked with but still so lovable world. The installational series I have been working on for this special exhibition in these weird times reflects this. The progress to get to this point was a struggle, and a constant inner debate, even though held mostly in private until the show for numerous reasons, but still … a fight. A battle. A bloodshed at times.

Like an undercurrent one of my favorite expressions for a while now flows though this series. Some may see it an expression of resignation, but that is not my interpretation. I feel it should be rather shouted out loud as a call to action:

Fuck this shit.

Jörg Heikhaus aka Alex Diamond, June 2021

"In other words: <_blank>": Exhibition opening moved to June 5

So, we have a new date again for the triple header exhibition “In other words: “<_blank>” (together with Jens Rausch and Boris Hoppek) that was supposed to open in March, then in May, and now over the course of the weekend June 5 & 6. I will show a new body of work that I will present in form of an installation within one room of the heliumcowboy gallery, working title “r.evol.ution”.

There will be a catalogue released as well as a new print edtition. Looking forward to this, it has been too long.

r.evol.ution

Fresh work in the studio. Made some good progress recently on a new series, working title „r.evol.ution“. It might still change though. Everything is in a state of flux.

All in preperation for an installation planned for the upcoming exhibition “in other words: <_blank>” opening May 8 at heliumcowboy (in Hamburg and online).

Something to calm the nerves

210314ALEXDIAMOND_SIGMA_2021-002-VS2_4368-Bearbeitet-2.jpg

In times like these turning to nature it is a great way to calm the nerves a bit. At least for me. Here’s a woodcut I finished a few days ago showing a topographical view (or adaptation rather) of a small stretch of the Danube river, in the „young“ course of this waterway. There is mist along the shore, clinging to the trees and the embankment. Which gives the work its title: „Misty“.

It is part of the collection of woodcuts I am creating for Geberit.

And it kinda works. The sabbatical I mean. From Instagram. I am not really thinking about it and have managed to focus better on my upcoming exhibition in May. I have a strong concept now and need to work out how to present it. It will integrate the space, it will be radical, and is still a lot of work to complete until it opens in less than two months, but hey, everything else would be boring, right?

little big Update (and Works on paper)

“LIfe Goals”, ink on paper, 29,7 x 21 cm (2021) check availabiliy here — “LIfe Goals”, ink on paper, 29,7 x 21 cm (2021)
check availabiliy here

I have been asked recently why there is not more new work online this year. I guess a lot of people are assuming that as an artist there is not much to do these day but be in the studio and churn out new pieces.

Well. I doubt that is applicable to every artist. Definitely not to me. The whole lockdown situation with homeschooling is taking a major toll. And while I love nothing more than spending time with my young son, you don’t get any work done when trying to support your kid while school and politics are failing in doing a proper job in this crisis. I know, this is a bit too general as well, I am sure there are teachers out there giving everything to help their students. Not in our case though, sorry.

But that is only a part of the reason why I am not spending every workday in the studio. There is the issue of transitioning the gallery to my oldest son, Melvin. He is in tough spot as well, considering the difficult situation he is in with not being able to show art at the physical space in Hamburg. He now moved most of it to the online world, but I am currently building him new moveable walls so he can make exhibitions in the windows. He has an exciting plan for this, it is going to be good! However, being the carpenter and builder in our set up, I am working a lot in the wood-workshop now too (which I just optimized in the beginning of the year, it’s a beauty to work there now! It is not all bad ;))

Then there are a lot of (art) projects I am working on, for my partners at Geberit and the Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei for example, and also I have two bigger shows coming up this year, that need preparation. I still have to find a way to squeeze in my writing for the book, and yes, my farm in the countryside is another thing that needs a lot of attention this year, with some part of it in desperate need of repair and redevelopment. That house is very, very old.

I did not yet mention my podcast heliumTALK. But … well. That is an issue for a separate update, as I am not sure that it is really necessary any longer, with the digital overload of the times and new conversation platforms rising (such as Clubhouse for example). I need to think on that one a bit more.

I don’t need to get into the part of my life that is private, my family, my taking care of them and being the cook and handyman and loving father and such, and how I manage to get some hardcore fight workouts somewhere into this schedule, but let me just say this: I usually get up at 5. I dig into computer work right away with a cat and a coffee on my lap on the sofa, still in my pajamas. And after a looooong day I fall to sleep exactly five minutes after I go to bed, which can be anytime between 10:30 pm and way past midnight, depending on the workload …

The update about my art? I recently started one large work in my Hamburg studio. It is going to be big and it will take a few weeks to complete. And I also took out pens and paper again so I can do some drawings in between, because those are perfect for me to get into the zone when time is scarce.

If anything is available to acquire, it will be in the artwork section on heliumcowboy’s online portfolio here. Or just contact Melvin. I also updated this website with a lot of my current and earlier and vintage works on paper.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay sane, stay radical and anti fascist and help those in need wherever it is possible for you. And keep in touch, I love hearing from you all.

Jörg aka Alex Diamond aka FvK ;)

Recent drawings

Happy New Year

“Harmony” | woodcut - wood, acrylic paint. 30 x 40 cm. 12/2020 — *“Harmony” | woodcut - wood, acrylic paint. 30 x 40 cm. 12/2020*

Not much to say yet. Too early. But it is all good - looking forward to this brand new year, looking back grateful for how it all turned out despite a f***ed up 2020, and always staying positive.

Love you all, thanks for stopping by, for the endless support and appreciation of my work.

First show of the year opens already this January at Weingut Tesch - find out more here.

Some angry beasts at Feinkunst Krüger

No worries, no worries at all. 2020 Woodblock, broken plywood, acrylic paint, ink, pencil, nails. In slightly uneven artist frame. 30 x 24 cm — *No worries, no worries at all.* 2020
Woodblock, broken plywood, acrylic paint, ink, pencil, nails. In slightly uneven artist frame. 30 x 24 cm

I’ve created a small group of apparently angry beasts for the 15th edition of the annual super-exhibition “Don’t Wake Daddy” at Feinkunst Krüger Gallery in Hamburg. This is the biggest Low Brow-exhibition in Europe, and the artist line-up is full with insanely great talent:

Alexandra Lukaschewitz, Ana Juan, Aniela Sobieski, Andrey Klassen, Anthony Pontius, Brad Woodfin, Brian Serway, Caitlin McCormack, Claudia Six, Dewi Plass, Dolce Paganne, Elmar Lause, Erlend Tait, Ewa Pronczuk-Kuziak, Fred Stonehouse, Gregory Hergert, Hazel Ang, Heiko Müller, Jason Limon, John Casey, Kisung Koh, Marc Burckhardt, Marco Wagner, Marcus Schäfer, Mario Maplé, Miriam Zadil, Martin Nill, moki, Naive John, Pamela Tait, Paul Neberra, Susanne König, Stig Bergas and Tripper Dungan.

Honored to be part of this again! The exhibition is curated by Heiko Müller and Ralf Krüger.

Even though it is tricky times you should visit the gallery - it is open Thursday – Saturday 12 – 7 pm, and aditionally December 21 - 23 from 12 – 6 pm (or get in touch). You can also check out more information and images through the website of the gallery and download a pdf with the exhibited artwork here (7,3 mb PDF).