ARTIST STATEMENT

As a painter I react very strongly to stimulating external impulses. The many scholarships and artist in residence invitations I have had in the past in different countries, such as in the USA, France, Italy and Spain, Greenland and Thailand have always created new themes in my work related to the respective country – bull fights in Spain, the arks and the eagles in USA, etc. (see also the attached curriculum vitae and the catalogue material).

The spectrum of my artistic work basically covers two main areas, namely collage and painting in the traditional sense.

It is the principles of thought and method of work in collage which in the city series (Berlin, New York, Frankfurt, Bangkok, and Tokyo) place the most diverse subject matter and painting vocabularies in new, unfamiliar contexts.  Connected with this is the opportunity to continually acquire new and unexpected aspects to that which is seemingly familiar, as well as enabling unaccustomed ties between the various elements of the picture to emerge.  These themes are documented and published in the enclosed catalogue entitled “Prinzip Collage”.

My second main focus, landscape painting, is not to be understood in the strict sense of depiction.  Far more, it is a fitting medium for me to find expression for certain areas of my emotional world.

I have worked my way across many archaic landscapes on every continent, such as the volcanoes of New Zealand and Hawaii, the Sahara and the Arctic, both photographically and in paintings.  These themes are documented and published in the enclosed catalogues entitled “Landscape 1985-2005”, ”Rapid eye movement” and “Terra Incognita”.

 

CURRICCULUM VITAE

 

1954
Born in Weimar

1982 – 1988
Studied at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin (Berlin University of Art)

1987
Scholarship from the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Rendsburg

1988
Pupil in a master class with Prof. Oppermann

1991
Studio scholarship in Schloß Salzau in Schleswig-Holstein

1991 – 1993
Karl-Hofer scholarship

1991 – 1997
Work contracts from the Berlin Senate

1992
Work scholarship in San Sebastian, Spain

1994
International symposium on art and politics, Aspen Institute, Colorado, USA
Studio scholarship from the city of Dinan, France

1995
Work scholarship, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Colorado, USA
International symposium on arts and politics, AspenInstitute, Berlin

1999
Guest scholarship from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Cadenabbia, Italy

2001
Teaching job at the university” Ragamangala Institute of Technology”
Department of Fine Arts, Bangkok, Thailand

2002
Studio scholarship (Artist in Residence Program) of the Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand

2003
As the “Detlev Rohwedder Preis”, the painting “Berlin1” of Frank Rödel was awarded to Vicente Fox, President of the Republic of Mexico, by the German Minister of Economy.

2005
Artistic design of the personal “Buddy-Bear” sculpture of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Horst Köhler, and trip to Tokyo with the president for the signing of the bear sculpture by himself and the Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, at the opening of the “Germany in Japan 2005/2006” year in Tokyo.

Work and study stay in the guesthouse of the (OAG) in Kobe, Japan, by invitation of the “German Society of Natural Sciences and Ethnology in East Asia”.

2005
The picture “Eagle V” is presented to US President George W. Bush as the official gift from the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder on the occasion of his state visit to the USA.

Invitation from Thailand´s Ministry of Culture and the Germany Embassy in Bangkok on the occasion of the “International Art on the Beach Project”, Phuket, Thailand.

2006
Study trip to the “Künstlerhaus am See” (House of Artists) by invitation of the “European Forum Lucerne” and the German Embassy, Lucerne, Switzerland.

2007
“Artist in Residence” studio scholarship, awarded by the Upernarvik Museum,  Upernarvik, Greenland.

Stage design for the Quadriga Prize Awards Ceremony 2007 in the “Komische Oper”, Berlin, and creation of a painting for each of the four prize-winners, amongst them Queen Silvia of Sweden and former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

The painting entitled “Vision Berlin” is presented as the official gift of the Federal Government to the President of the Republic of Mozambique, Armando Emilio Guebuza, on the occasion of his state visit to Berlin.

Others to the President of Brazil, da Silva Lula, to Beatrix of the Netherlands and the President of Ireland Mary Patricia McAleese

2009
Scholarship from the „Fundación Valparaíso“, Spain

“Artist in Residence” studio scholarship, awarded by the “Bear Art Center”, Iceland

2010
“Artist in Residence” studio scholarship, awarded “SAMBAND ÍSLENSKRA MYNDLISTARMANNA  SÍM”, Reykjavik, Iceland

„Breakthrough Art Project“, Exhibitions and  symposiums on “Twenty Years After German Unification“   Nashville, Aspen, Washington DC, San Antonio und Chicago, USA

2010/11
11-weeks antarctic expedition as an”Artist in Residence” with the research icebreaker “Polarstern” of the “Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar Research”

2011
Studio scholarship, awarded by the „Goetheinstitut Georgien“ in Alvani, Georgia                

Award Winnerof the 5. Tashkent “International Biennale of Contemmporary Art“, Uzbekistan

2012
The painting entitled “Kaleidoskop Berlin” is presented as the official gift of the Federal Government to the President of the Republic of Italy, Georgio Napolitano, on the occasion of his state visit to Berlin.

2013
Journey to and work on Isfahan in Iran at the invitation of the Cultural Department
of  the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran

2015
Documentary about the emergence of the “Isfahan pictures” by the Arab Channel
“Al Jazeera”

2017
Prize winner of the “Tashkent International Festival of Arts 2017”

2021/22
The “900 seconds Production”, based in Munich and Berlin, shot a five-part documentary about my work in the studio and my experiences while traveling:

2023
Full-page article in the FAZ,  “Earth Portrait” by Gerald Felber,
Page Z6 – Saturday, February 4, 2023 – No. 30 “Pictures and Times”