He has studied from 1984-1991 intermedia Fine Arts at the “Kunstakademie Münster” with Prof. Timm Ulrichs and Prof. Paul Isenrath. Parallel with it he has studied Design at the Universities of Applied Science in Münster and Dortmund. Besides he has attended lectures and seminars at the “Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster” in the departments of Philosophy, German Literature and Language and History.
From 1999 – 2001 he has been Artistic-Academic Staff / Assistant to Prof. Zbigniew Rybczynski at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. In 2003 he took together with the curator Montse Badia a Guest-professorship at the London Goldsmiths College - Centre for Cultural Studies (subject-matter: „Artistic practices with media and related curatorial approaches – Strategies of presentation and intervention in the public sphere“). In 2004/05 he has been co-curator for the touring exhibition Paisatges Mediàtics produced by Fundació „la Caixa“ Barcelona.
His work as an artist has been multiple awarded and has been shown internationally among others: European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010, Bunkier Sztuki Kraków, Museum of Modern Art Saitama in Urawa/Jp, Sagacho Exhibit Space in Tokyo, Apex Art in New York, Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig, VI. Architecture Biennale in Venice (It.), as well as on different Art fairs. Seven Installations will be shown in 2012 at the Contemporary Museum Wroclaw MWW.
A central aspect of his artistic practice is the fact that he is collecting images for more than 20 years. They are mostly publicly accessible images, such as from print media, TV, Cinema, archives, the www and other sources. Those images have been the material for many of his multimedia-based artworks. The fact that these images are often part of our collective memory, motivated him to explore in his artistic discourse the connection between the public sphere, representation and human identity against the background of the increasing standardization worldwide.
PDF Download: Tabular CV, with with a list of selected exhibitions in GERMAN & in ENGLISH
PDF Download: List of selected Publications in GERMAN & in ENGLISH
Art call for quietness and concentration if it is to be developed and experienced beyond the bounds of selfish interests. When this happens, art helps us to live in a more human way. Art can also help people discover links and structures in the growing complexities of their lives. It does this through direct experience, which is prompting attentiveness and reflection and above all if art is dealing with content and realities that are taboo, distorted or seen as meaningless in the common consciousness of bourgeois civilizations. Thus art is a foodstuff for society, just as food and drink sustain the individual. Having said this, Art is a reminder of the necessities of life: the need for a broad and continuous learning, how to pass on what has been learned and the need to stay mentally open-minded.
Humans mostly grasp the importance of art and culture when they get into situations that are inflicting the question of meaning. Art is made by people for people, and is solely recognized as such by them. This means it is based on the practice of active sharing and communicating.
As a human being and an artist, I try to fulfill this claim, and help to keep these manifold sources alive for future generations.
© Andreas M. Kaufmann in 2009/10