Vernissage

ART has always been the language of the soul, of emotions and one of the most complex forms of culture.

Every artist perceives the world in his own personal way and thus passes on art to his fellow human beings as a way of communication between hearts.

Adrian-Emanuel Dragos felt the magical call of color from a young age, drawing with pencil and watercolor from the age of 3 and discovering gouache a little later.

He was born on March 27, 1992 in the town of Resita in Romania, where he took part in many painting competitions at local schools and even national competitions.

He graduated from the Mathematics and Computer Science High School. He then attended the Faculty of Engineering in Computer Science, with a final specialization of Masters in Electronics.

As sometimes happens to some of us in life, Adrian-Emanuel also had to interrupt his dream of painting for a period of about eight years. After a sports accident, however, he had the epiphany to return to the easel. He felt divinity whispering to him to pick up the brush again, which filled him with joy.

In this way, he could and can express the creative fire that burns in his spirit and thus express his thoughts, dreams and feelings on canvas. As he himself says, he always paints according to his thoughts and emotions, which is why his paintings are different – abstract or conventional.

It cannot be said that he has already created his own, firmly defined style for himself, because the spontaneity and colors in his paintings reflect the dynamics of a moment.

As an author, he wants to have an indirect effect on the viewer with his paintings by giving them an idea of what he was feeling at that moment and thus showing them the journey of his thoughts.

Alessandro De Luca does not follow any particular style – nor does he want to. He paints and draws everything that lives in his head: figures, abstracts, houses, landscapes – and often characters from history who have always called to him. His thoughts move in an inner chaos, and his challenge is to give this disorder a quiet structure on the canvas, to make harmony visible in the wild play of colours. There his ideas find their rhythm, their clarity, their own logic.

Despite his freedom, his art is unmistakably influenced by classical Italian artists – a signature style that dates back to the Renaissance, sometimes even to Roman and Greek origins.
At the same time, he wants to take the viewer on a journey through time and give them an insight into his life through his works – into the places he has lived, what he has learned, what he loves and what he does not love.

He does not explain his art; he lets it be felt. For his works have no style – they belong solely to the eye and heart of the person who looks at them.

Art resonates by touching on something that moves the viewer. Be it great joy or times of great suffering. Her works reflect intense emotions that have been awakened through encounters with others.

Looking at her pictures should create a space in which you can let yourself go. A safe space. A space in where viewer and artist meet.

Her preferred materials are acrylic paint, graffiti spray and canvas. The series are as different as the emotional states from which they were created.

My journey with art began in childhood, where I discovered that painting allowed me to step out of the ordinary and into a magical, colorful world of peace and infinite possibility. It became a form of meditation for me—a way to release my soul and express the deepest parts of myself.

There’s something truly transformative about creating with both heart and hands. Each brushstroke is a dance between energy and emotion, a powerful burst of creativity that brings me peace and joy. Through painting, I experience a beautiful balance: the thrill of creation alongside a deep inner calm. It’s as if my spirit flows onto the canvas, revealing something beyond the material world.

Art is my language, and through it, I speak directly from my soul. When someone connects with one of my pieces and feels the energy I’ve poured into it, it’s more than just sharing beauty—it’s about offering them a piece of the inspiration that has shaped my life. Knowing that my art can spark joy, reflection, and connection in others is the reason I embraced the path of an artist.

Everything I create is rooted in energy. My art is about letting that energy flow, surrendering to the process, and trusting in the beauty that emerges. When I paint, I am not trying to control the outcome—rather, I’m allowing myself to be a vessel for something greater. Each stroke is infused with freedom, as I believe that art, like life, should never be confined by rigid rules.

Every color, every shape, every splash of paint carries its own vibration. It’s all energy, and through my art, I channel that energy into a visual form—one that others can feel, connect with, and be inspired by. I pour my heart into every painting with the hope that it resonates with those who need it most. My work carries messages of life, resilience, and spiritual growth—guiding the viewer to see not just with their eyes, but with their spirit.

To me, each piece of art is a motivational message—a reminder of the beauty in embracing the flow of life, letting go of fear, and allowing yourself to be led by creativity, joy, and possibility.

Benjamin Burkard’s paintings are characterised by the elaboration of this depth space, with representational objects, especially people and animals, being worked out from the abstract colourfulness.

The young artist, who also studied biology, explores his compositions as a visual narrative that is ready to comment on society and humanity through his characteristic use of historical references, pixel elements and the diffusion of faces.

Burkard’s works are already part of a large number of private and public collections. Some of his works are currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in Hünfeld.

Dr. med. univ. Daniel Josef Maier is a visual artist whose career began not at an art academy, but in medicine. While studying medicine, he realised that his true calling lay not in healing bodies, but in the creative power of art – in exploring what moves people at their core.

A moment of inner emptiness gave rise to an artistic practice that combines discipline, empathy and deep human understanding with expressiveness and aesthetic clarity. Since 2020, Maier has been working entirely as a self-taught artist – drawing, painting and exhibiting – with an uncompromising commitment to depth, authenticity and independence.

His art does not revolve around the artist himself, but opens up spaces for responsibility, communication and transformation. Each work invites us to look deeper, question truths and think beyond the boundaries of the familiar – an invitation to feel again in a fast-paced world.

A special aspect of his work is the use of augmented reality. By combining analogue painting with digital enhancement, Maier creates a completely new art experience: his works begin to breathe, move and develop their own dynamics as soon as viewers look at them through their smartphone or tablet. The AR layer does not serve as a technical effect, but as an extension of emotion – a bridge between art, space and consciousness.

In just a few years, Maier’s career has developed rapidly. His works have been exhibited internationally, including in New York, Munich and Vienna, and are already in over 100 private collections. Upcoming exhibitions in Barcelona (MEAM), Paris (Carrousel du Louvre), Florence (Biennale) and Miami (Art Miami) mark his growing presence on the international art scene.

He is currently represented by Mido Galeria (Colombia), Galerie Berggasse 29 (Vienna), Artio Gallery (Toronto) and Gallery Steiner (Vienna). Maier offers collectors unique and strictly limited edition works – each with a certificate of authenticity, transparent provenance and long-term value.

Each of his paintings is more than an object.
It is a companion for life.

The up-and-coming Mainz artist Isabelle Breitkopf always manages to inspire visitors with her colorful works.

Each of her works is a visual color battle. There are no boundaries, no rules, colors and shapes mingle and bring the canvas to life. Whether with rags, sponges, palette knives, paint rollers or other everyday objects, she uses any means to bring the complex structures of her abstract works to the canvas.

In addition, each of her works is given a unique and unusual title, with which the artist aims to make art more accessible to everyone.

The French-born artist lives and works in Mainz.

I am an abstract artist who expresses emotions, inner processes and personal perceptions in multi-layered visual worlds. By combining acrylic and oil paints, resin, wood, textural materials and experimental elements such as aluminium foil, I create works with intense tactility, depth and tension.

My painting is intuitive, process-oriented and characterised by the interplay between control and letting go. Each painting is an authentic expression of my inner dialogue – a visual translation of emotion, movement and energy.

Since 2020, I have been intensively devoted to abstract painting and have developed an independent, experimental visual language. In my studio, I create free mixed-media works that come to life through layers, textures and material contrasts. The creative process is at the centre – the conscious exploration of structures, colour tones and forms of expression.

Jiny Lan (born in Xiuyan, China, in 1970) is a German-Chinese conceptual artist who has lived and worked in Germany since the mid-1990s. She studied at the China Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou and is co-founder of the feminist artists’ collective ‘Bald Girls,’ which was the first to make feminist positions visible in art in China.

In her multi-layered work – ranging from painting to performance and installation to multimedia projects – she combines influences from East and West and moves confidently between figuration and abstraction, reality and imagination, criticism and humour.

Jiny Lan addresses central social issues such as censorship, authoritarianism, democracy, human rights, sexism, racism, war and migration, translating them into powerful, often subversive visual worlds.

With exhibitions in Europe and China and as the namesake of an art foundation established in Düsseldorf in 2025, she is now considered one of the most important voices of the feminist avant-garde in contemporary art.

Larissa Bechthold lives in Düsseldorf, where she worked as a solicitor for many years. In the midst of the structured world of law, art developed into her conscious contrast medium – a space in which intuition, freedom and personal expression set the direction. Out of this tension, the desire for transformation shaped an independent artistic path characterised by a love of experimentation and spontaneity.

Her works arise from an impulsive interplay of material, structure and intense colour accents. Each composition grows out of a moment of inner movement, gaining intensity in the creative process, condensing layer by layer on the canvas and unfolding its final presence there as an artistic statement. The results are powerful, vibrant pictorial spaces that convey energy, emotion and depth. Her works reflect an ongoing dialogue between control and letting go – a tension that makes her artistic signature unmistakable and charges it with unmistakable authenticity.

Lena Blaha (née Chekonina), born in 1978 in the Ukraine (Chernowitz) and grew up in Mongolia for the first 8 years of her life, has lived and worked in Mainz since 2002. Many journeys and long stays in other countries have strongly influenced her visual language and the content of her pictures.

Her motifs are full of energy and vibrancy. “For me, there is nothing better than making people happy with my passion.”
Her artistic work focuses on strong color contrasts, extreme cropping or strongly colored shadows. The juxtaposition of complementary colors, such as red and green, brings tension and power to her paintings. Rough brushstrokes and the random flow of color should remain visible in the works.

The power of color: “Color does not exist for itself, not outside in the world, but within us.” (Piet Mondrian)

Each of her paintings reflects a small piece of the place or people she has been to and met on her travels. Her works are as diverse and rich in contrast as life itself and yet refuse to be categorized.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Melanie Lengowski, born in 1983, lives and works in Zwickau. Her artistic journey has taken her beyond the boundaries of traditional painting. She
has developed a passion for collages and three-dimensional assemblages, which make her works unique. Melanie deliberately uses natural materials such as wood and natural fibres, combining them with a dynamic mixture of acrylics and radiant gold and silver colours. Her artistic approach is direct and hands-on, which further enhances the intense expression of her visions.

At the heart of her art is the search for visual balance. Her works embody a symmetry that is both aesthetically pleasing and reflects a deep sense of balance between humans and the environment. Melanie’s art is not only an expression of vitality and radiance, but also a clear commitment to sustainability.

Through the conscious reuse of wood and natural fibres, Melanie sets an example for sustainable action and highlights the close relationship between us humans and our environment. Each of her artworks tells a story of energy and health that comes to life through her three-dimensional effects and symbolic elements.

Melanie wants her art to inspire people to discover new perspectives and courageously break new ground. She dreams of a world in which art is not only seen, but also felt and experienced, and in which everyone

„Michel Friess is currently one of the most successful and important German and also international pop artists. In addition to countless awards and art prizes such as the international Leonardo Da Vinci Prize, the Frida Kahlo Prize, the international Art Prize New York … In November 2020, he was awarded the „Oscar of the Art Scene“ – „THE GLOBAL ART AWARD 2020“ – in Shanghai. – 1st place in the mixed media/graffiti category. With this, he finally emerged as the most successful representative of German contemporary pop art.

Michel Friess‘ works can now be found in many renowned galleries. In 2016, he made his international breakthrough. From Shanghai to Singapore, to Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, Miami … his work now hangs alongside the truly great pop art icons like Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Banksy … in international galleries.

Born in the summer of 1970 in Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Michel Friess became interested in art, and especially street art, at a young age. At the age of 16, he could be found riding around on his skateboard and making graffiti art. After a long break in 2008, he completely devoted himself to pop art. A short time later, he succeeded in entering the professional art world with portrait work for prominent personalities.

Michel Friess produces his outstanding and elaborate unique pieces completely by hand in his studio in the southwest of Germany, in Kaiserslautern. His wife Mel assists him. The dedication to detail is unmistakable. His pictures tell stories; they capture the viewer and their thoughts. There is always something new to be discovered in them. His works are created through complex working techniques such as painting, the use of spray cans, hand screen printing, paint rollers, wild splashes of paint, as well as the use of iconic newspapers, posters, rare comic books … which make every work of art absolutely unique.

Already at his early youth he was attracted to street art. During his first years as an artist he became well-established for his impressive portrait-work of many well-know personalities published by his own „German Pop Art“ label.

His pieces of art are created by Michel Friess upon order as unique copies at his loft studio in Kaiserslautern, Germany, located in a former rasp factory from the 50ies. The spirit and flair of his almost legendary work place is coined and reflected in many of his works and motives. Many celebrities have seen his studio since.

The artist sets his value on complete handicraft. His famous works emerge from applying hand-silk-screen printing with every sieve being custom made from wood and stringed by the Friess himself. A very intricate method with up to 20 different sieves being used with one work of art.

Koenemann’s paintings are wild, regardless of whether he is outside in space or inside the human soul. He seeks a balance between the violent, even furious gestures of the post-war generation, of wounded painter maniacs such as Pollock or Hartung, and the patient search for the figure, for great symmetries and harmonies that often only emerge (or re-emerge) during the working process.

In recent years, Ralf Koenemann, who previously only worked in very large formats, has expanded his palette to include smaller canvas formats and editions with a unique character.

Raphael Rack is a German artist known for his unique and creative works. His art encompasses various media and styles, often experimenting with colours and shapes to create emotional and visual experiences.

Rack has made a name for himself in the contemporary art scene, attracting the interest of art lovers and critics alike with his innovative approaches and profound themes.

His works often reflect personal and social issues, making them both appealing and thought-provoking.

An art series for positivity and success The art series ‘Smile to Life’ stands for an inspiring message of positive thinking. Each picture in this series serves as a source of motivation for the viewer, supporting them in their everyday life and encouraging them to achieve their goals.

The works are kept in a square format, which represents structure and order in life. However, each of these squares also contains a round smile, which symbolises positive transformation and flexibility of mind.

This combination shows that with the right attitude, anything is possible – you can even turn a square into a circle.

Lakis Sgouridis is a pop art artist from Basel and founder of the Basler Kunstmeile.

His art moves between urban reality and iconic imagery – inspired by pop culture, brands, superheroes and classical elements.

Born in Basel in 1970 to Greek-Spanish parents, Sgouridis combines different worlds and stories. Without formal art training, but with a strong creative drive, he developed his own style over the years. He works with a variety of materials such as metal, canvas, acrylic glass, epoxy resin and historical baroque frames.

His works are pop art with character – humorous, powerful and never arbitrary.
In 2024, he initiated the Basel Art Mile: a freely accessible art space in the public urban space that today brings together over 30 artists. Not as a gallery, but as a movement.

For Sgouridis, art is not an object, but a state of being – visible where you least expect it.

The painter and sculptor Stefanie von Quast devotes her art almost exclusively to people and their relationships. She conveys the way in which they are connected through body language and posture – subtle expressions of interpersonal resonance.

Stefanie von Quast discovered her passion for the visual arts early in her childhood. She began painting and modelling at an early age, which opened up an artistic path characterised by intensive learning and continuous development. She completed studies in painting and drawing and obtained a diploma in graphic design. She expanded her artistic training to include sculpture and bronze casting. Today, she uses different techniques and materials as a creative challenge to shape the transition between painting and sculpture.

For several years now, she has been painting on thin stone slabs using a technique she developed herself, which combines the natural grain of the stone with the painting. This is a further step towards merging painting and sculpture. She attaches particular importance to colours, drawings and the structure of surfaces – regardless of whether they are made of stone (including precious stones), wood or bronze.

She lives in Egling and has her studio in the Reismühle Gauting. From there, Stefanie von Quast regularly organises solo and group exhibitions in Germany and abroad, participates in art fairs and carries out a wide variety of commissioned works. Whether canvas, stone, bronze or wood – despite all the different approaches, one central theme remains constant: the human being. Her works interpret this theme from an optimistic and at the same time multifaceted perspective.

The inspiration for her work springs from what she sees and hears, or pops up unexpectedly in her thoughts – a kind of ‘zeitgeist’ that manifests itself in ways of thinking and feeling and is then translated into visual form. Her more recent themes increasingly focus on slowing down and finding inner peace for greater serenity.

Stop, pause, take your time, understand, touch, let your mind wander, be with yourself. Without a cell phone, free yourself from overstimulation and the pace. Enjoy and relax. This is exactly what Poersch hopes for when the viewer encounters his works.

His portraits are created using a dot technique reminiscent of pop art and at the same time reminiscent of pointillism. An image is created from a multitude of small dots, which allows the viewer to see a clearly recognizable face from a distance, while the structure of the individual dots becomes clearer on closer inspection.

This technique emphasizes the pixelation and fragmentary nature of modern digital imagery and brings the theme of the decay of information to the fore. The result is a tension between detail and abstraction, which is created in particular by the complexity of the surface and the different materials.

Poersch studied art/art therapy in Bochum in 1999 and painting at the University of Dortmund in 2002. He later became a master student and friend of Prof. Wilfrid Polke, brother of Sigmar Polke, Düsseldorf.