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Kind, gentle and fully dressed | Vernissage Photos

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Below are the photos from the opening of my exhibition “Kind, gentle and fully dressed” by the wonderful Julia Schwendner / ThisIsJulia Photography. Once again she managed to capture the beautiful spirit of that night so well!

And what a wonderful and very special place this version of the heliumcowboy artspace is! And not just to me. Not sure of there are many galleries with this atmosphere. Thank you to everyone who visited this show or one of the openings this year.

The exhibition is on display until January 20, 2019. If you wish to visit, please drop me a note or contact the gallery. And of course Follow me on instagram, I’ll post all valuable info and opening times there too.

The exhibited work can be seen on Artsy. Exhibition views are here on this site.

There is a (german language) podcast out where I talk with Andreas O. Loff about the new work and the exhibition, you can find it here:

heliumtalk.com | Spotify | iTunes / Apple Podcast

Kind, gentle and fully dressed | Exhibition photos

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Wow. The show is open. On Saturday, Nov 24 we had a tremendously wonderful Vernissage!! I couldn’t have wished for a better night for this! THANK YOU!

Below are some installation photos from the complete show. Hope you like them! They are also on my facebook, if you are still using that. There are some words about the exhibited work series here.

The exhibition is on display at the heliumcowboy artspace until January 20, 2019. If you wish to visit, please drop me a note or contact the gallery. And of course Follow me on instagram, I’ll post all valuable info and opening times there too.

There is a (german language) podcast out where I talk with Andreas O. Loff about the new work and the exhibition, you can find it here:

heliumtalk.com | Spotify | iTunes / Apple Podcast

KIND, GENTLE AND FULLY DRESSED | Solo-Exhibition opening Nov 24

November 24 - January 20, 2018:
KIND, GENTLE AND FULLY DRESSED
Solo-Exhibition at heliumcowboy, Hamburg

Vernissage Saturday, November 24, 7–11 pm

Follow me on instagram to see updates from the work in progress towards this exhibition

There is a (german language) podcast out where I talk with Andreas O. Loff about the new work and the exhibition, you can find it here:

heliumtalk.com | Spotify | iTunes / Apple Podcast

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

For „Kind, gentle and fully dressed“ Alex Diamond (Jörg Heikhaus) retreated into the solitude of the rural north and produced a very personal new series of work. He looked at our society from the distance to the restlessness of the City, our social-media driven cohabitation and the oversaturation of our daily life. The artworks – a mix of woodcut and painting - were created intuitively and dynamic in a spontaneous process.

This series consists of flat wooden boards instead of the layered, stage-like constructions of Alex Diamond’s major work of the past years. The results are unique woodcuts that are abstract, graphic and figurative at the same time, interspersed with quotes and text fragments from music and film.

At first glance these new artworks seem to account for the assumed lightness of the impulsive work process in the studio. Their stories unfold when taking a closer look, when following the numberless cuts into wood – in some works amounting to thousands of carvings – and when putting the text fragments into context with current events. Doing so you can discover the intensity and complexity of the paintings and their subjects.

There is an underlying political and social discomfort in this new oeuvre, like in most of the work of Alex Diamond. As an artist he takes responsibility and comments through his medium and craft and in his very own, intimate way. There is anger, rage even, but also hope and encouragement. This depth in regard to the content however isn’t pushed into the aesthetic and thus visible foreground, but develops more like a good song, by engaging into melody and rhythm, harmony and disharmony, lyrics and voice.

ABOUT ALEX DIAMOND

‚Alex Diamond‘ was initiated as a stand-alone art project by Jörg Heikhaus in 2004. Although it outlived its original intent around 2009/10, it has become Jörg‘s stage name as an artist since.

Essentially being a determined and straightforward storyteller, most of his artwork can be seen as an exploration of contemporary culture and its recurring social recognition patterns, with strong references to popular content and aesthetics.

Jörg has been an exhibiting artist since 1987. He founded the heliumcowboy gallery in 2002 as a unique place to show and experience art. Today he spends most of his time creating his complex woodwork in Today he spends most of his time creating his complex woodwork in one of his studios - one he built from vintage wood inside the exhibition space, another one that lies in the remote countryside. He also runs the podcast „heliumTALK“.

IMAGES FROM ‘THE WORK IN PROGRESS’

heliumTALK Podcast

From the recording of heliumTALK #19 with Barbara Lüdde.

Just figured out that I hardly ever post my heliumTALK podcasts on my own website ;)

But I’ve done a ton of them since I started in Feburary this year, both german and english language versions. You find them all over at heliumtalk.com or on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, whatever’s your prefered tool to listen, it’s on there.

And if you don’t want to miss one, I’d be happy if you’d subscribe. You can also follow my instagram, because that is where I post news directly and quicker.

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" ...

The Love Me Or Die - Launch on September 14

The launch of my latest artist beer with Oliver Wesseloh / Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei draws nearer. While the beer still needs to be labeled, the limited edition Screen Print just arrived from Berlin's finest printer, Dolly Demoratti (motherdrucker.de). It looks AMAZING!

On September 14 we will officially launch "The Love Me Or Die" with a "Beernissage" at the heliumcowboy gallery. This event takes place during the Drunter & Drüber - Neustadt-Festival 2018 on September 14, 2018, from 4–9 pm.

This is the unique first chance to taste the beer and get the limited edition beer box including six 0,33l bottles of "The Love Me Or Die" Spiced Triple and the 8-color silk screen print of the original label artwork that's ONLY available in this box. The edition is limited to 100 boxes/prints.

Here's a link to the facebook invitation with more info.

Coming soon: The Love Me Or Die - new limited edition artist beer!

Here's a little sneak peek, a little glimpse at the creation of the label and print artwork for the soon to be released "The Love Me Or Die", the 2nd limited edition artist beer I recently brewed up together with my man Oliver Wesseloh, head honcho at Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei in Hamburg ... stay tuned!

PS: The beer will be released in a limited edition of 100 six-bottle-boxes including an 8-color silk screen print of the artwork ... printed again by the wonderful Dolly Demorrati / Motherdrucker Berlin. A bunch of single bottles will be available too.

PPS: The beer edition will be launched Friday September 14, 4–9 pm, at the heliumcowboy gallery.

PPS: The name of the beer 'The Love Me Or Die' is the title of a song by C.W. Stoneking that was part of the inspiration for this brew and the artwork. Listen to the man! He is incredible!

PPS: Yes there is already a larger and pretty complex woodwork of mine with the same title - it was part of an exhibition last year and already showed my obsession with the story of this particular song. The label artwork is basically the same, only not carved, and flat, and with more skulls … (here's more about the original artwork).

It's Really Just Another Love Story

This work is inspired by the 1958 Sci-Fi movie "The Attack of The 50ft Woman". It is a story about greed and fear and betrayal and passion that ends in chaos and murder and ... well, it is just onother love story really. Check out the trailer on youtube, it is a great movie and you can see a lot of the elements that made it into my artwork.

A little bit of background: Every day on my way to the studio I drive my bike past a shop in Hamburg called "Andere Welten" (Other Worlds). We used to live above that place and it is one of these rare gems of real -life stores that are full of passion and dedication. If you are into Science Fiction or Fantasy, this is the place to go when in Hamburg ...

Anyway, I ride past this shop daily and for a very long time now they have the poster of this movie in their window. And after working on my new series "The Freedom Paintings" earlier, the idea forms in my head to recreate a billboard from the 50ies applying the trashy and slightly abstract style used in those. It is not just a tribute to the movie, it is a tribute to movie making in general, and to a lot of the things I mentioned earlier, and of course a comment on our times, and and and.

I am very happy that this piece found a new home with a lovely couple in California , where it kind of belongs.

heliumTALK Podcast with Rune Christensen, documented by Julia Schwendner

Photo documentation of my heliumTALK podcast number 10 with my friend and fellow artist Rune Christensen by Julia Schwendne / ThisIsJulia Photography.

Can't believe this is already number 10. I am switching between german and english language episodes, this one is the third we talk english.

The podcast is online on Spotify, iTunes, at www.heliumtalk.com etc.

The Freedom Paintings

Inspired by the music of Charlie Parker and Miles Davis and blending it with country and punk in my head (and on the record player at the studio) it is a sweet little in-between group of works that merges my past as a painter with my woodcutting techniques of today.

Please check available work of this series at artsy or through heliumcowboy.

HELLO MY DEAR - exhibition & re-opening of heliumcowboy

Can‘t wait to show you my new series of woodcuts/paintings I am working on right now to be finished for Hello my Dear, the Re-opening of the Heliumcowboy Artspace this Saturday (March 24, 7 pm).

Feels really good to be working this way for now ... Well. Lot’s of words, best you come around this Saturday in Hamburg and take a look yourselves:

HELLO MY DEAR
Opening Saturday March 24, 19:00 – 23:00
more information | facebook event

Work in progress on my new series of work - THE FREEDOM PAINTINGS. To be launched Saturday, March 24, at heliumcowboy in Hamburg.

heliumTALK Podcast!

Did I tell you how much I love making these new heliumTALK podcasts? Here’s me recording the intro to the very first audio podcast we produced on The Ranch (it is also a kind of preview of the rebuilt part of the gallery that is now exhibition space, artist workshop and podcast studio alltogether).

For this very first purely audio heliumTALK I spoke with artist Darko C. Nicolic, and it will be launched next Monday. In german. Well. First english language podcasts are coming LATEST in April.

To stay ahead of it all, please check www.heliumtalk.com.

You can listen and / or subscribe to the podcast here:

Recording the heliumTALK podcast with artist Darko C. Nicolic at the heliumcowboy artspace.

The Love Me Or Die

„The Love Me Or Die“ is a sculptural woodcut I created in 2017. It is loosely based upon a song by C.W. Stoneking of the same name (you can listen to the song below). The story told is about desire, love, betrayal, magic and evil. It is a the name of a voodoo spell - if you don’t love me I will put a magic voodoo under your floor and see if this makes you fall in love … or not. The result is in the title.

From the song, I am mainly quoting the part
„Standin in the weeds early next day,
I saw the meat wagon rollin away,
I seen Matilda layin in the back,
Her old mother wearin a suit of black“,
which describe the failure of this delusional attempt to magically influence true feelings.

It is not literally about the song, but what you can read between the lines - or the layers, as my artwork is built in multiple levels and set up like a theatre stage or a diorama. Everything is carved or cut out of wood, painted in different stages of the process and finally assembled. If hung of a wall, it stands out into the room (you can even turn the wheels).

For me, an artist who gets a lot of inspiration through popular culture such as music and film it is a wonderful thing to be touched so deeply by a song that it sticks in my head the whole time I spent creating an artwork. It is like a soundtrack in a loop. I even went and started playing it on the guitar and singing it - in my very own way of course, as there is noone I know who could possibly sound like the incredible Mr. Stoneking.

PS: There’s another, completely different angle to this piece of mine - it will also become the central artwork for my new „artist beer“ I am brewing up together with Oliver Wesseloh (Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei) with special support by Scott Jennings (Sierra Nevada Brewery). After we released the first artist beer, „The Dirty Hands Of Alex Diamond“ in 2016, the general idea of the recipe is taking the story of my woodcut and the song into a drinkable version. We hope that C.W. Stoneking allows us to use the title of the song for the name of the beer. More later, once we get closer to the final stages of producing this very limited, special artist edition of a beer.

Details & Production:

C.W. Stoneking: The Love Me Or Die

The Reverend Remington Hunting Party

Most likely my last work for this year: "The Reverend Remington Hunting Party" is a smaller sculptural woodcut, leaning strongly towards a pop-surrealistic / low brow aesthetic. You may say it is a rather evil family portrait, but the title of the work is actually the name of the band of my first record. Well. That record does not exist, but I guess you'll get the idea. And who knows?

This is one of those special year end works I create for the annual December-exhibition "Don't Wake Daddy" (DWD) in Hamburg, curated by my friends Heiko Müller and Ralf Krüger at the Feinkunst Krüger Gallery. DWD just opened for the 12th time, and I am proud to say that I have been part of this international group show for many years since 2007 ... so you could say it is my personal 10th anniversary of DWD ;)

The exhibition is open until December 23, make sure to check it our when you are in Hamburg. Feinkunst Krüger is open Thursdays and Fridays 12-19 and Saturdays 12-18 h.

We're Here To Stay | Documentary

I am super excited about this brand new documentary of my work: Over the course of many weeks in 2017, filmmaker Kai Klinke visited me in my studio to capture the creation of the sculptural woodcut "We're Here To Stay" and all the different stages of my work process. It is an intimate view into my workshop (and we also made a small campfire in the backyard).

I am very happy with the result and cannot praise Kai's work enough. I hope this film helps to understand better how I approach and realize my art, and how my multi-layered, meticulously built and highly detailed sculptural woodcuts are unique.

I am always rambling about how difficult it is to present my work on the internet, and maybe this film can help translate my craft for the online world.

Alex Diamond: We're Here To Stay (2017)Multi-layered woodcut, acrylic paint, , ca. 80 x 55 x 12 cm — Alex Diamond: We're Here To Stay (2017)
Multi-layered woodcut, acrylic paint, , ca. 80 x 55 x 12 cm

In the press: SZENE Hamburg

Proud and grateful to be featured in the December edition of SZENE Hamburg. THANK YOU!