Alex Neuschäfer

Alex Neuschäfer studied painting at the Universität der Künste (University of the Arts) in Berlin with Prof. Bernd Koberling (2002-2008, graduating as a student of the master class). He is also part of the project-based artistic collective “La Chose Projects”, with which he also curates exhibitions (recently in Berlin “Anthology of Optimism”)

He understands painting as an individual way of thinking about reality. Perception is more and more based on knowledge: through increasing amounts of information that are freely accessible, the world seems to be completely transparent and explainable. While the relations in politics, economy and science are actually constantly increasing in complexity, while loneliness and anonymity multiply in the globalized crowd, the world is slowly losing its secrets.

Alex Neuschäfer likes to pose questions in his pictures, to formulate riddles, to confuse habitual views and to illustrate alternatives. He plays with the construction of wishful utopias, seemingly romantic fantasies about fleeing from civilization and the notion of “Home”.

Currently, he is interested in classification systems like grid patterns, coordinate systems or the binary logic of the digital, and especially the disruption of those systems by coincidences and other consciously allowed “mistakes”. One could say that his paintings show a conflict between control and chaos; the rules of the form and the freedom that arises from the conscious objection. Often even between the depicted material and the use of the painting material.

One goal of Alex Neuschäfer is always to depict figurative motives as understandable and easily readable as possible. For example, when he paints a house, he doesn’t use a particular house but refers to the superordinate definition; artifacts become icons, like on the desktop of a computer. This aspect of his work was greatly influenced by his interest in medieval paintings, especially the Gothic and Romanesque periods. Based on this abstraction, Neuschäfer combines elements in his pictures in a playful, associating manner anew.

To watch Alex´s video presentation, please, click here.

Residency is supported by Czech and German Fund of Future a Goethe Institut Prag.

http://www.alexneuschaefer.de/