I group a multifaceted and complex art project under the title HELGE MACHT FEUER:
In 2010, I began a process of intense self-reflection grounded in the concept that
life equals art and art equals life (Joseph Beuys). This meant aligning my own
existence, and the shaping of it, as well as the shaping of my environment and,
potentially, the world, with an ethical, humanistic, and responsible spirit … This process
culminated in 2012 with the writing of the HELGE MACHT FEUER manifesto and the
complex exhibition FOLGE MIR (Follow Me) at Galerie Teapot in Cologne, and
continued in 2013 with a trip to New York, a journey I conceived in conjunction with the
elaborate and far-reaching HELGE MACHT FEUER exhibition at Galerie Queen Anne,
located at the Baumwollspinnerei in Leipzig.
Following several failed attempts in previous years, my self-reflection led me to confront,
resolutely and head-on, the illness that had resided within me since youth: alcoholism.
It was a disease that was often life-threatening, certainly self-destructive, and a heavy
burden on those close to me … an incurable disease.
Since October 31, 2010, I have not touched a drop of alcohol, up to the present day
(2026) and have thus brought the disease under control. A decisive factor in this was
the way I thematized and captured the act of drinking in my painting, radically open,
powerful in large formats, and quiet in small ones. Notable examples include the
paintings Das große Doppel – Ich [The Great Double – I] and Das große WIR-BILD
[The Great WE – IMAGE], as well as the series HELGE MACHT FEUER
[Helge Makes Fire] and FOLGE MIR [Follow Me].
The paintings in the HELGE MACHT FEUER series, all possessing an existentialist
undertone, depict me in extreme situations, such as out in the snow, making a fire,
or deep in reflection. The paintings in the (Ich) … Folge mir [(I) … Follow Me] series
continue this theme within other extreme contexts … and lead us toward the light.
In 2012 (it is worth remembering that I had only been sober for a year and a half
at the time), I spent eight months writing the manifesto HELGE MACHT FEUER and
planned an exhibition in Leipzig for 2013 where it was to be released. The three
words of the title carry charged connotations, first and foremost for me personally,
but perhaps also for those who read the manifesto and view its content with a critical
eye. It emerged from self-reflection; it sought to enter the world, even though I was
already aware that “everything has been said” and that action was what was required.
I searched for the right form. It needed to reach people rather than deter them.
I packaged the manifesto’s content into a beautiful, substantial book—an object
whose physical form would offer an aesthetically pleasing experience…
The moment finally arrived in 2013.
I had the complex exhibition in Leipzig right on my doorstep. Earlier that spring, I had
traveled to New York, attempting, through various forms of performance, to unfold the
manifesto’s critical substance within that stronghold of capitalism. The exhibition at the
Spinnerei, hosted by the Queen Anne Gallery, combined performance elements, readings
of the manifesto, and paintings on massive canvases (260 x 400 cm) with two large-scale
sculptures: one situated outdoors in front of the gallery, and the other, a walk-in tree stump
made of bulky waste (7 meters in diameter, 4.5 meters high), located inside the spacious
gallery hall. There was also my nearby studio on the Spinnerei grounds, which served as a
meeting point for discussions … and where one could view another enormous painting,
WENN DER TAG KOMMT (Kometen-Einschlag) [When the Day Comes (Comet Impact)]
(260 x 450 cm, from the HELGE MACHT FEUER [Helge Makes Fire] series). Although this
painting was part of the exhibition’s overarching concept, it could not be included in the main display because the gallery’s large hall was already fully occupied by the exhibition’s primary components. Approaching the gallery, one encountered an 8-meter-tall sculpture of a massive tree stump constructed from bulky waste, featuring a mounted television screen that broadcast a static black-and-white image with background noise. A bundled cable ran from the gallery interior, passed through two transformer kiosks
marked “Caution: High Voltage,” and connected to the screen mounted within the large
outdoor sculpture. The description vividly evoked the image of thoughts, manifesting as
electricity flowing through cables, streaming from the heads of figures arranged in a circle
along the inner walls of the walk-in monumental sculpture, the SPERRMÜLLBAUMSTUMPF (Bulky Waste Tree Stump). These figures were positioned around a three-meter-high throne where I sat and read from the manifesto during the exhibition:
Ich hoffte auf FUNKENFLUG (I Hoped for Flying Sparks).
The manifesto is still available in both English and German.
(As of 2026… please contact me regarding this if necessary.)
