WOLFGANG STILLER
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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