WOLFGANG STILLER
About
Born: 1961
Lives and works: Berlin, Germany
Wolfgang Stiller is a contemporary multimedia artist, with his art works encompassing sculpture, drawing and installation, displaying a complicated but subtle interest in bodies and organisms, human and otherwise, via scale, subject and materiality. Born in Wiesbaden, Germany, Stiller has lived and worked in United States, Turkey as well in Shanghai, China working as guest professor for NYU.
Wolfgang's most popular work has been the burnt down “matchstick” sculptures of human heads. The specific concept initially conceived while he was living in China, symbolizes how people are overburdened, trying to reach success overlooking their health and lives. The specific 3D works evoke deep contemplation to the viewer, allowing them to come to their own conclusions of the burnt heads standing or lying in matchbox ‘coffins’.
Wolfgang explains his work's processes, “The meaning and content of a work grows while I’m in the process of doing the physical work. One could read those burned matches as worn-out or burned-out human beings. All the heads I’ve used so far are from Chinese people. This sometimes leads to the assumption that this is a criticism of the Chinese government. One can read it that way, but I think this metaphor could be used for any western system as well. The matchboxes could be simply seen as formal elements within the installation, as coffins or simply as matchboxes. I actually like to keep it open since I don’t like art that leaves no space for one’s own imagination.”
He has more than 140 personal and group exhibitions around the world from Germany, to Japan, USA, Greece, Italy while he has participated in numerous Art Fairs, museum exhibitions in Europe and China and received several awards for his work.
Medium: Wood, Polyurethane, Acrylic paint on MDF panel, wax, bronze
Selected Permanent Collections
Wolfgang's work appears in many renowned public and private collections.
A few of the institutions his artworks belong to are,
Wuhan museum of fine art, Wuhan, China,
Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern, Germany,
K.E.Osthaus Museum, Hagen, Germany,
Country Hessen, Germany,
Museum Bochum, Germany,
DASA Museum, Dortmund, Germany,
Museum Belden an Zee, Scheveningen Netherland, Changwon city,
Korea Kablanc foundation Otazu, Navarra, Spain.
EDUCATION
Fine Art - Painting and Sculpture 1989
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany
Communication Design 1984
GHS Wuppertal, Germany
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Over 58 solo exhibitions, dedicated to his work organized all around the world
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Participated in more than 85 group exhibitions, world wide.
AWARDS
ART Foundation Plaas, Germany 1986
Art and Church Heilbronn, Germany 1991
Working Scholarship, Senate Berlin, 1991 Germany
Art Prize Sickingen, Germany 1991
Working Scholarship, Tokyo, Japan 1993
Artist in residence, Berlin Senate 1996
Istanbul, Turkey
ISP studio program, New York, USA 2000
Kunstfonds Arbeitsstipendium 2009
ARTWORKS AVAILABLE for SALE by WOLFGANG STILLER
PAST SHOWS of WOLFGANG STILLER
Solo Exhibitions
2017 Mark Hachem gallery Beirut, Lebanon
2016 Tändstickmuseum, Janköpping, Sweden
2016 Mark Hachem gallery, Paris, France
2015 Galerie Schmalfuss, Berlin, Germany
2014 Gallery Albert Benamou - Veronique Maxé, France
2014 Yeni Cami, former archeologist. museum, Thessaloniki, Dimitria festival Greece
2013 Python Gallery, Erlenbach, Zurich, Switzerland
2013 Art Issue Projects, Taipei, Taiwan
2013 Voss Kunstlag - Banksmidja, Voss, Norway
2013 Gallery Basement, Voss, Norway
2012 Mube, Sculpture Museum Sao Paulo, Brazil
2012 Delloro Contemoporary Art gallery, Berlin
2012 Galeria Simon Nolte, Porto Colom, Mallorca, Spain
2012 Pingpong Artspace, Taipei, Taiwan
2011 Kalos & Klio showroom in collaboration with Lola Nikolaou Gallery, Thessaloniki, Greece
2010 Art Association Gera, Germany
2010 Gallery Ling, Berlin, Germany
2009 Gallery Epikur, Wuppertal Kunstverein Gera, Germany
2009 Gallery Schmalfuss, Marburg, Germany
2008 Emerson Gallery Berlin, Germany
2006 Galleria Cal D'oro Rome Italy
2005 Yamamoto Gendai Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2005 Emerson Gallery Berlin, Germany
2003 C 3 gallery, New York, USA
2001 Westbeth Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
2001 "Humanus", Paulina Kolczynska Fine Art, New York, USA
2001 Vernon Holdings Fine Art, Prague, Czech Rep.
2000 Roentgen Art Space, Ikeuchi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1999 Galleria Scognamiglio & Teano, Napoli, Italy
1999 Gallery Epikur, Wuppertal, Germany
1998 Gallery Clairefontaine, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
1998 ART Frankfurt, Förderkoje, Gallery Markus Nohn, Trier, Germany
1998 Galerie Markus Nohn, Trier, Germany
1997 Gallery Markus Nohn, Trier, Germany
1997 Gallery Cato Jans, Hamburg, Germany
1997 Gallery Clairefontaine, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
1997 Roentgen Art Space, Ikeuchi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1996 Gallery Cato Jans, Hamburg, Germany
1996 Gallery Markus Nohn, Trier, Germany
1996 Museum Bochum, Germany
1995 Carsten Neumärker Gallery, Koeln, Germany
1994 Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern, Germany
1994 Gallery Epikur, Wuppertal, Germany
1994 Roentgen Kunstintitut, Ikeuchi gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1994 Goethe Institute Tokyo, Japan
1994 Artium Gallery, Fukuoka, Japan
1994 Goethe Institute Kyoto, Japan
1993 Roentgen Art Institute, Ikeuchi gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1992 Staedt. Gallery Castle Oberhausen, Germany
1991 Studio Gallery Hamburg, Germany
1991 Kunstverein Ruhr, Essen, Germany
1991 Petrus Church Berlin, Germany
1991 Wartberg Church Heilbronn, Germany
1990 Martin Gropius Bau, Werkbund Archive, Berlin, Germany
1990 Art and Museum Association Wuppertal, Germany
1989 Martin Gropius Bau, Werkbund Archive, Berlin, Germany
1988 Gallery Kosmos, Essen, Germany
1986 Atelier and Gallery Kollektiv, Wuppertal, Germany
Group Exhibitions
2019 Madison gallery San Diego, Solana beach, USA
2018 Changwon sculpture biennale, Korea
2017 "Presentation of the Fool's Cap" Mact / Cact contemporary art museum Ticino, Bellinzona, Switzerland
2017 Gallery Lola Nikolaou, Thessaloniki, Greece
2015 Python Gallery, Zurich Erlenbach. Switzerland
2015 Agalaus Art Festival, Voss, Norway
2015 Kulturfabrik Apolda, Apolda, Germany
2015 Wuhan Fine Art Museum, Wuhan, China
2015 Hôtel de Gallifet / artcenter, Aix en Provence, France
2015 artist association Walkmühle, Wiesbaden. Germany
2015 18+ festival, Cluj - Napoca, Romania
2015 Gallery Simon Nolte, Münster, Germany
2015 Nanjing 2nd International Art Festival, Nanjing, China
2014 2 man show with Florian Fausch, Gallery of Fraunberg, Dusseldorf, Germany
2014 Lola Nikolaou gallery, Thessaloniki, Greece
2013 Bienal de Curitiba, Curitiba, Brazil
2013 "Kunstlandskap Fjaler 2013", in collaboration with NKD and Kjell Erik Ruud, Dale i Sunnfjord, Norway
2013 Lola Nikolaou gallery, Thessaloniki, Greece
2013 "stronger than fear is hope", curated by Bodo Korsig, Schmalfuss gallery, Berlin, Germany
2012 2nd International Art festival Kathmandu, Nepal
2011 "Memory_Identity" MK2 Space, Beijing, China
2011 "softpower" Gallery Kvant, curated by Franziska Leuthäußer, Berlin, Germany
2011 "Nordart 2011", Rendsburg, Germany
2011 "Worldpeacefestival" Free Museum Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2011 Gallery Nolte, Münster, Germany
2011 "5C / 5C" KT & G Sangsangmadang Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2011 "5C / 5C" CIAC, Centro international per L'arte contemporanea, Rome Italy
2010 "Lingering Whispers" St. Pancras church, London, England
2010 "Nordart" Germany 2010 Delloro Gallery, Rome, Italy
2010 "Event Printmaking 2" Leipzig, Book Fair, Germany
2009 Gallery Horschick, Dresden, Germany
2009 Kolbe Museum - Basement Collection Hoffmann "Animal Perspectives" Part 2, Berlin, Germany
2008 "Critical Mass" curated by Marc Hungerbuehler, HYCA Contemporary Art Center, Beijing, China
2008 "Sewn" East Asia Contemporary gallery, Shanghai, China
2008 "Black and White", Gallery 49, Beijing, China
2008 "Chinese Character Biennial", Beijing, China
2007 "SURGE" curated by Marc Hungerbuehler, 798 International Art Festival, Beijing, China
2007 "Dream Palace" curated by Alfredo Martinez, A-Space, Beijing, China
2007 "Lost Boorders" curated by Alessandro Rolandi, Art Channel Gallery, Beijing, China
2007 "Must be Gallery, 798 Beijing, China
2007 "SEWN" curated by Nikoykatiushka, Segment Space, Beijing, China
2007 Watermill auction, Watermill, USA
2007 2 man show with Pan Xing Lei, Chinese Art Base at 798 International Art Festival, Beijing, China
2006 "New Chinese Occidentalism", curated by Pan Xing Lei, THE HOUSE, Beijing, China
2005 "Made in America", the pickled arts center, Bejing, China
2004 "Fantastic" Landesmuseum Linz, Austria
2004 Maze II ", The Artists Network, New York, USA
2003 "Art on Recipe" Kunsthalle Erfurt, Germany
2003 "Re do China", Ethan Cohen Fine Arts gallery, New York, USA
2003 Watermill Auction, Watermill, USA
2003 "Certain Conditions" Waterfront Hall Belfast, Ireland
2003 "Force fields" installation project, Krefeld, Germany
2002 Herforder Art Association, Germany
2002 Georg Kolbe Museum, "Wax Identities", Berlin, Germany
2002 Staedt. Museum Zwickau, Germany
2002 Watermill Auction, Watermill, USA
2001 Museum Ratingen, Germany
2001 Osaka Trienale, Osaka Museum, Japan
2001 Watermill Auction, Watermill, USA
2000 "EXPO2000", DASA Museum, Dortmund, Germany
2000 "Closure II", Velbert-Langenberg, Germany
1999 K.E.Osthaus Museum, Hagen, Germany
1999 Gallery Jan Wagner, Berlin Germany
1998 Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
1997 Gallery Markus Nohn, Trier, Germany
1997 "Tocando el cabello", Velbert-Langenberg, Alemania, Germany
1997 Roentgen Art Space, Ikeuchi Gallery, Tokio, Japan
1997 "Discordia" Kunstverein, Kunsthaus Hamburg, Alemania
1995 Ursula Blickle Stift. Instalación de Kunstpreis, Kraichtal, Alemania, Germany
1994 "Cueva de Platón", Museo KE Osthaus, Hagen, Alemania, Germany
1994 "Bienvenido" Kunsthaus Hamburg, Alemania, Germany
1992 "Draft" Schlossbunker, Mannheim, Alemania, Germany
1991 Instituto de Arte Roentgen, galería Ikeuchi, Tokio, Japan
1991 Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern, Alemania, Germany
1991 Escenario de arte en la "Caja abierta", Museo KE Osthaus, Hagen, Alemania, Germany
1990 "Imitaciones" K.E.Osthaus Museum, Hagen, Alemania, Germany
1990 Studio Gallery, Hamburgo, Alemania, Germany
1987 Museo Von der Heydt, Wuppertal, Alemania, Germany
1987 Art Prize Young West, Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, Alemania, Germany
1987 Manus Press Stuttgart, Alemania, Germany
1986 "ART WIRE", Messe Düsseldorf, Alemania, Germany
1986 Exposición itinerante "Bad", Bad Nauheim, Wiesbaden, Alemania, Germany
1986 Stadt. Galería Gladbeck, Alemania, Germany
1985 Museo Von der Heydt, Wuppertal, Alemania, Germany
1984 Museo Von der Heydt, Wuppertal, Alemania, Germany