Biography

Having grown up in the countryside of Southern Germany, I quickly transformed into a nomad moving and working around the globe. At the age of 16, I went to the USA as an exchange student for one year. I later graduated from high school in Germany, then lived over a year on sailing vessels in the Caribbean. Having returned, I studied fine arts (multimedia, land art) at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. I continued my studies (as I study as long as I live…) abroad for the Max-Planck-Institute as an artist, scientific drawer and research assistant in desert ecology at the Gobabeb Research Station in the Namib Desert, Namibia. Living in Namibia for over a decade, I continued my art research. I worked in the desert as a tour guide, community worker, environmentalist, co-founder of the first grass-root environmental awareness centre and artist. My senses sharpened with the focus on earth and soil. I started to develop my unique art technique called DECRUSTATION. This work took me to many regions of the planet, exploring new ways of working with a variety of local soils on local/global soil issues with local people. Many international exhibitions taught me about the inspirational impact this work has on people of all ages and backgrounds. Since 2007 my new base is situated in Berlin where I established a permanent exhibition facility and workstation. In Berlin I find the people and institutions needed in order to bring about an ambitious DECRUSTATE art project: a worldwide, mobile and interdisciplinary exhibition called ORIGIN designed to touring the continents while collecting more DECRUSTATES on-site of the exhibition places. Find details to ORIGIN here.

Curriculum Vitae

1966 born in Kassel, Germany
1983 cultural exchange student, San Francisco, U.S.A.
1987 – 1988 travels to Northern America, one year on a sailing vessel in the Bahamas and the Caribbean
1988 – 1992 student, University of Munich and Academy of Fine Arts (Multi-media, Prof. F. Klein), Munich, Germany
1992 – 1996 scientific drawer, assistant at ecological research institute Gobabeb, Namib Desert, Africa.
co-founder of GECCO (Group of Environmental and Creative COnsciousness), creative environmental education centre, Namib Desert (first community-based project in Namibia), founding member of NEEN (Namibian Environmental Education Network)
1996 travels in Europe and America
1997 – 2000 environmental projects for youth in Namibia with Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Youth and Sport (i.e. desert survival trips on foot), specialized desert tours, lodge management, movie sets, art projects
2000 first DECRUSTATION in the Namib and Kalahari Desert, further development of technique and DECRUSTATION in Chihuahua Desert, Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau, Northern America
2001 further development of technique, presentations, Europe
2002 DECRUSTATION in Namibia, Africa
exhibitions in Namibia and South Africa (Earth Summit, Johannesburg, South Africa)
environment group exhibition, National Art Gallery of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia, also curator
2003 exhibitions and DECRUSTATIONS in Namibia
2004 exhibitions and projects ‚art and environment’
conceptual development of intercontinental work
2005 – 2006 DECRUSTATIONS in the Alps and the Sierra Nevada
further development of mounting, framing and conceptual work
exhibition at Congress ’25 Years Alternative Nobel Prize’, Munich, Germany
2007 exhibitions in Germany, DECRUSTATIONS in West Africa, Central and South Europe
2008 establishment of DECRUSTATE Base Berlin, permanent exhibition and workshop
DECRUSTATION in Southern Africa
2009-10 exhibitions, DECRUSTATION Middle East
2011 exhibitions , Germany, conceptional work to festival ‚ground connection‘
DECRUSTATION in Central Europe, film documentation with Arteminent
DECRUSTATION in Middle East, workshop with artist from Al Mahatta Gallery, Ramallah
2012 DECRUSTATION Northern and West Africa
film documentation with Arteminent
2013 exhibitions and other soil related projects in Germany, workshops with children
2014 exhibitions, conceptualization of the mobile exhibition ORIGIN