.

It's all good. The photos! All of them.

I’ve made it! I went through all the great photos that were taken during my solo exhibition „It’s all good.“ that took place in June 2022. I tried to reduce the output - but I just couldn’t really. So here is a pretty exhausting look into this show that was my largest and probably most important to this day.

Besides these photos by Julia Schwendner, Eric Anders, and our very own Lucy Pfeiffer, there’s a video coming out soon as well. Also we just launched a new episode of the heliumTALK-podcast, in which Melvin and I are talking in depth about the exhibition. You can also listen to the podcast of Der Hamburger Magazin, which is released July 15 and where I speak about this show as well (both podcasts in german language).

Later this year (some time in fall) we’ll be launching a catalogue about this exhibition. Because Print is beautiful.

All the artwork and more info is on the exhibition page at heliumcowboy.

You can also find some images and videos on my instagram profile.

Thanks again to Melvin from heliumcowboy gallery, to Elvie and Angelika from Barlach Halle K, to Angela for the Dinner, to the team and helpers Lucy, Puhli, Elo, Theo, Mara, Dirk, Jana, Ronja; to the musicians Duo Sabiar & Pinewood Road, to all our guests and visitors, to the supporters and buyers, our sponsors Frida (Kappich & Piel), Birger (518 consulting), Jens (Art-Lawyer), Martin (Tesch Wein), Julia & Olli (Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei), and to Yvonne, who makes it all possible in the first place. If I forgot anyone, let me know!

PREVIEW by Julia Schwendner

VERNISSAGE by Eric Anders

EXHIBITION & INSTALLATION VIEWS by heliumcowboy

ABENDBROT by Lucy Pfeiffer

All the artwork and more info is on the exhibition page at heliumcowboy.

You can also find some images and videos on my instagram profile.

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

A new sheriff in town

Photos by Julia Schwendner / thisisjulia.de

Alright. That was it. There is a change in management, not just in the US of A, but also here in Hamburg at heliumcowboy. I am back to only being an artist again, and no matter how much I loved building the gallery, it is a fucking relief. Here’s why:

This November I am handing over the reins to of the gallery to my son Melvin. I founded the heliumcowboy artspace back in 2002 but am resigning now from all my operative gallery work after almost two decades, so I can focus solely on my work as an artist. Melvin is now the new gallerist on the Ranch, and I couldn’t be any prouder: The exhibition „Hurry up please, it’s time“ that opens this weekend (Nov 14 & 15) is the first exhibition he curates in his new position.

Stepping back from my leading role at heliumcowboy has been my plan for a few years already, because running two full time jobs at the same time has always been very tough. So now I am finally again concentrating only on my art, which I create under the name of Alex Diamond since 2004 (and most recently with my Flaum Van Kreuzen-project). Looking back, my art was at the foundation of heliumcowboy all along: In 2002 I began to make exhibitions in my new artist studio in Hamburg St. Pauli, which I eventually turned into the internationally acclaimed gallery heliumcowboy … most of you probably know the story. It’s a good one, and it feels great to look back.

In 2016, Melvin assisted me for the first time setting up and executing an exhibition. With the 15-years anniversary show „Cowboyland“ in 2017 he came on board more permanently and has been my right-hand man for most of the shows at the gallery and on fairs since.

He is ready now to take on the whole business with a set of fresh eyes and new ideas for the art world. I will help out only with strategic issues if needed, but apart from that Melvin (22) is now most likely the youngest gallerist in town - and the new Head Honcho on the Ranch, to stick with our heliumcowboy lingo.

I hope you all will support him in this big new task ahead. Make sure to help keep a vibrant gallery scene alive by visiting the shows, spreading the word and of course by buying art.

Love and hugs

Jörg

PS: “Hurry up please, it’s time”, Melvin’s „inaugural“ exhibition as the gallerist of heliumcowboy opens this weekend (Saturday, November 14 from 2 – 8 pm and Sunday, November 15 from 12 – 5 pm). Unfortunately the times don’t allow for a big celebration, but you can book a timeslot at heliumcowboy.com/booking to make sure to congratulate him personally.

heliumcowboy_melvin+joerg_112020-026.jpg

No flag

November 3, 2020

Allright, it’s time for another politically infused (or rather inflamed) painting, this one here is a brand new Flaum van Kreuzen that I have been working on and off for some weeks now, aptly titled

NO FLAG

and still unavailable at the moment, as I am not sure if I will continue working on it after the coming night. It might need more rage, but maybe it also needs a bit more healing powers, let’s see how it all goes down on this rough day. One good thing about my van Kreuzen-project is that there are no other goals for these works than the process of creation itself. If that makes sense.

Now dear people with their brains still attached to the values of humanity and democracy - go put an end to the shit show. The world deserves a break.

On the other side of the storm

I have carved these waves for over ten years, inspired by the grandmasters of the japanese woodcut like Hiroshige or Hokusai. This year I return a bit to these more straightforward and clean works, in an even more reduced color palette (one in the backgound plus the wood).

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORM
Part 2 of a series of 4 woodcuts
Wood, acrylic paint, 40 x 30 x 3 cm (2020)

This is from a series of original artworks I am creating for my ongoing collaboration with Geberit.

Places I write ...

So yeah, there is a lot of writing these days. I really prefer to write up north in the old farm house in (what I call) #cowboyland, but I still spend a lot of my time in Hamburg and yes, it is pretty great here in my studio at heliumcowboy as well, so I try to get some pages done here too.

Chapter one to three are ready, I am pleased with the flow of things and couldn't be happier for being able to write down my story, well the story of Alex Diamond. The book will be a big and beautiful art book, of course, but it will also be an autobiography, which is a great honor to be able to write and the experience of going back so many years and remember all those moments and stories is just beautiful .

This will take a longer time, for sure. And the gallery will not be as busy as before, during this period at least. But I'll keep doing the podcast and my art and might also be working with a few artists so there will always be something to look at and / or talk about at heliumcowboy - you are of course welcome to check in.

We plan something for April 3, when there is the next "Rundgang" of the Galerien in der Neustadt . Also Melvin might be up to something, so stay tuned.

Thank you for supporting me and everything that heliumcowboy stands for!

hugs/Jörg

PS: The book will be designed by Jan Müller-Wiefel and published by Gudberg Nerger Verlag. We are aiming for summer/fall 😉

PPS: This is not an advertisement 'cos I pay for my shit, but the shirt I am wearing is the 25 year anniversary shirt of the legendary RIDER’S ROOM in Hamburg (a colab with Pike Brothers Superior Garments ), so shoutout to Sven and Olli and the whole team for keeping it tight since 1995 ...

Happy New Year and the final drawings ...

Allright. So here we are, the year 2020 is pretty young, and so I think a Happy New Year is still in order! ❤️

Here’s a little update on last years’ project “The Daily Drawings of Alex Diamond”: I finished drawing number 100 in December 2019. I might continue with something similar in 2020, we’ll see, but this part of the project is closed now.

There's been a lot of requests lately, and most of them are gone now. This is humbling and beautiful, and in case you still want one - here is what is left (status while writing this post), and here you can find all 100 of them.

I will however produce the 2nd mini catalogue shortly (Nr. 1 was from drawing #001 – #050, Nr. 2 will be from #051 – #100). I took the liberty to frame them all and change the price a bit: they are 99 € (framed and with free catalogue Volume 1).

Still way too cheap if you ask me, except maybe for the number #100! If you want that - that’ll be 999 €.

Why? Well, because it is and alway will be the rarest one. 😉

Consolidating my social media and great photos by Jo Fischer

This is one off the photos my friend Jo Fischer shot recently when he visited me in at my farmhouse up north in my own personal #cowboyland … Jo truly is a remarkable photographer.

But I’d like to say something else with this series of images (2 more below) …

I am making some changes to my social media channels, it is just too much to post to AlexDiamond-heliumcowboy-heliumtalk on facebook-instagram-twitter all the f***ing time … that is unhealthy. I think. So I decided to consolidate all this and post mostly on the @heliumcowboy instagram from now on.

Don’t worry, it’s all gonna be there: All the gallery news and artists work, all the new podcasts, my art, my woodworking, my tractor, my public life … so if you don’t already - please follow me on @heliumcowboy⠀

The @alexxxdiamond account on instagram will stay, sure, but it will be a portfolio of my work. Let’s see if my life gets easier. And thank you if you’ve read all the way down to here.

New label for Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei

Always happy like a little child on Christmas when I hold one of the beers by Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei with a new label created by me in my hands! The latest one is for FOFFTEIN, a blonde Ale that Oliver Wesseloh created jointly with Dominik Großefeld, the owner of the legendary St. Pauli bar Silbersack as their house brew.

It is the most-Hamburg-related label I created for Kehrwieder so far, and I am superhappy with the result. And the beer is super nice as well, as always with the beers that master brewer and beer artist Oliver produces!

Enjoy responsibly!

Hands and carburetor by my buddy Mario Kleinschmidt / Kleinschmidt Kustoms.

The Love Me Or Die - Launch delayed by authorities

Unfortunately there is no really satisfying update on the delay of the launch of our 2018 artist beer edition "The Love Me Or Die". This years' collaboration brew with Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei is still on hold at the german authorities, bureaucracy ist preventing us from selling it until we get the necessary okay on the paperwork back.

We are very sad about this, not just because this is a passion project of master brewer Oliver Wesseloh & Alex Diamond that took a very long time to realize, but also because this is a more or less uncommercial project that only costs us money as long as we can't move the product. You can pre-order the beer boxes by mail, but that is all we can offer at the moment (please send a note to info@heliumcowboy.com if you are interested).

Please stay with us, we'll let you know once the beer is going to market. It will at some point, but until then we still have to haggle with the - hold your breath, english speaking friends - "Behörde für Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz Hamburg, Fachbereich Lebensmittel- und Futtermittelsicherheit" ...

Cowboyland!

Guys, we are getting closer to a very special event - in a bit more than a month I hope many of you will join me to celebrate 15 years of heliumcowboy artspace, the gallery I have founded in the year 2002 in a small space in Hamburg St.Pauli, a stone's throw away from the Millerntorstadium.

I have invited 57 artists for COWBOYLAND, our anniversary show opening July 15, that we will celebrate not only at the current gallery space in the Neustadt, but also in the backyard with a sweet summer party program, starting early in the afternoon at 3 pm!

I am so thrilled about the incredible line-up we got together for this, so happy that all these amazing artists confirmed to show with us on this special day:

4000 * 56K/Ole Utikal * ADAMEVA * Adrian Landon Brooks * Alex Diamond * Alekseij Mirnij * Alex Yanes * Andrea Wan * Antonio Santin * Beau Stanton * Ben Tolman * Ben Venom * Blami * Boris Hoppek * Casey McKee * Christophe Lambert * David Shillinglaw * Elmar Lause * Frank Rösner * Gary Taxali * Heiko Müller * Heiko Zahlmann * Jan Kaláb * Henning Kles * Jade Townsend * Jay Olé * Jaybo Monk * Jeff Soto * Jens Rausch * Jeremy Fish * Jim Avignon * Jo Fischer * Jon Burgerman * Jon Todd * Julia Benz * Mario Kleinschmidt * Mercedes Helnwein * melv12* Michel Lamoller * Mikael Takács * Milos Koptak * Miroir Noir * moki * Morten Andersen * Pandarosa * Rai Escalé * Rainer Boronowski * Rune Christensen * Ryan Monahan * Samuel Basset * Stefan Groenveld * The London Police * Victor Castillo * Volkano * Wasted Rita * Will Barras * Zezão

It has been quite a ride ... I will share some memories with you on heliumcobwoy.com over the next weeks, please check this link for the latest stories.

hugs & kisses ❤️ & thank you for 15 great years!

Facebook event: Cowboyland - the first 15 years of the heliumcowboy artspace
More info at heliumcowboy.com

Interview in "Hamburgstories"

Read the complete story at "Hamburgstories" - click image to visit that page. Photo © Uta Gleiser

There is a very honest interview about my art and about heliumcowboy, the gallery I founded 15 years ago, over at hamburgstories.de . And some really nice shots from my studio by blog-author and photographer Uta Gleiser. Thank you for featuring me, Uta!

Trophy for HANS Award - der Hamburger Musikpreis

The "Diamond Cassette Player" - woodcut, painting and sculpture combined for the 2016 HANS Music Award-Trophy.

I had the honor to create this year's trophy for the music award HANS der Hamburger Musikpreis. It is an annual award, each year the organizers invite an artist to create a unique trophy. The only prerequisite: the rectangle and 3-dimensional format. The trophies will not be reproduced but are originals for each category. A big job when you have to create 11 trophies ... but a beautiful one as well. I had lots of fun coming up with my very own version of a classic cassette player ... the Alex Diamond Portable Tape Recorder!

Just thinking about who now has an original Diamond on their trophy shelve at home makes me feel very proud! The winners: Beginner (they won in three categories), Music Icon and Legend Udo Lindenberg, Haiyti aka Robbery, Johannes Oerding, FARHOT and Folkert Koopmans. (Hope it's not just going to be firewood ...)

Thank you Uriz Von Oertzen and your team for the support and to show host Lukas Nimscheck for the nice interview on the historic music stage at the Markthalle Hamburg!

Below are some images and a short video - as I was also given the opportunity to talk about the work live on stage at the event (in german).

The Dirty Hands Of Alex Diamond: Release exhibition

The Dirty Hands Of Alex Diamond meet the REAL dirty hands of Alex Diamond ...

We successfully launched THE DIRTY HANDS OF ALEX DIAMOND, the limited edition artist beer I created with Oliver Wesseloh from Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei in Hamburg - you can read the story behind it here.

I embedded the presentation of the beer into a small solo exhibition at the heliumcowboy gallery, combining some brand new, never seen before woodworks with other important pieces of mine. The exhibition is on display until October 29, Thursday–Saturday 2–7 PM (Bäckerbreitergang 75, 20355 Hamburg).

You can purchase the limited edition beer box directly at at heliumcowboy or in the galleries' online store.

Below are some images from this exhibition and from the fantastic night of the opening (by Frank Meyer, jumpallintheair.com).

THE EXHIBITION

THE LAUNCH PARTY

Wohnidee Suite: My drawings for the Bohemian Loft at the Radisson

Here's something different: My drawings on bathroom furniture in a Hotel Suite for a nice project with Geberit, Keramag, Wohnidee Magazine & JOI-Design at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Cologne.

Read more about this in the Wohnidee Magazine (sorry, german only).

Now on youtube: clubkinder artist talk at heliumcowboy

Im ersten Teil unserer neuen Reihe spricht der Hamburger Künstler Jörg Heikhaus aka Alex Diamond über sich und seine Arbeit. Als Urgestein der Hamburger Kunstszene teilt er seine Beobachtungen und Einschätzungen zur aktuellen Situation der Kunst und des Kunstmarktes in Hamburg mit uns. Durch den Abend führen der Clubkinder e.V.

In case you missed it live at the heliumcowboy gallery or on TV last Sunday - here's the full video from the clubkinder artist talk with me, which was held on January 22 at our gallery. I was interviewed by Jannes Vahl, founder of the social organization clubkinder e.V., which supports social projects in Hamburg. Jörg donated one of his trademark Alex Diamond-photodrawings (see here), which was auctioned for the benefit of Sport ohne Grenzen e.V., a youth basketball project in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg.

Here is part 2 with the Q&A by the auditorium:

The artist talk is a new program at heliumcowboy. Together with clubkinder e.V. and TIDE TV, we will hold regular artist talks at our space that are beeing screened on TV and streamed online.