Exhibition
"Healing": with works of Artist and "Bananasprayer"
Thomas Baumgärtel, Cologne
Exhibition Dates: September 17th – October 10th
Vernissage: Friday, September 17th
Thomas Baumgärtel is attending!

Opening times: Wednesday through Friday  2 – 7pm / Saturday 12 – 4pm
(additional times available by arrangement)

The Artist and "Inventor" of the Spraybanana Thomas Baumgärtel shows in the Neue Kunst Gallery Karlsruhe, in his 3rd exhibition after 2006, an exceptional selection of works from different creation periods and unites these under the exhibition title "H e a l i n g".

This ambitious and profound title is borrowed from a display title of his series "hortus medicus". The exhibition imparts that "H e a l i n g" is not only to be considered medically but also leaves room for versatile interpretations. One of Baumgärtel’s works thereby moves into the center of attention which has been presented publically only on very few occasions before: The “World Trade Center” from the year 1996! This painting arose 5 years prior to the disaster that struck the building on 9/11. What drama will come vital through such a work of art which originally has been unconcernedly created out of artistically fascination!
Back then when everything was still in pristine condition. Today it provokes utterly different and deeper perception. Thus the exhibition "H e a l i n g" suddenly obtains unexpected timeliness.
The artist himself refers to the Twin Towers work - which consists of hundreds of sprayed bananas – as "Bananapointillism" (dimensions: 250 x 140 cm / 8.2 x 4.6 feet). Notable are further large scale works such as the"Brandenburger Tor mit Banane" (Brandenburg Gate with Banana) (280 x 300 cm / 9.2 x 9.8 feet), "Die Heilpflanzen- Serie" (The Medical Plant Series) from the "hortus medicus" project or the erotic act based on Francois Boucher for instance. His latest romantic painting creation, which features a recreative view from the Schlossgartensee onto the Karlsruhe Palace, is affectionately titled as "Ententeich" (Duck Pond) by the artist!
The exhibition especially offers one thing: "Sheer H e a l i n g"!

Advance Notice:  Sunday- Matinèe
On Sunday, October 3rd – German Unification Day - at 12pm at the Neue Kunst Gallery, the Artist Thomas Baumgärtel  presents his projects titled "Eine Banane im Brandenburger Tor" (A Banana at the Brandenburg Gate), i.a.: "Die Banane am Kölner Dom" (The Banana at Cologne Cathedral), "Phönix aus der Asche" (Phoenix from the Ashes) as well as various spraying activities. An informative and exciting slide show by the Bananasprayer himself from Cologne!

-Admission free!-

Vita Thomas Baumgärtel

Since 1984 the Artist Thomas Baumgärtel who lives in Cologne has created an impressive line of work consisting of over 1.000 paintings.
However he is by far more than a painter in the classical sense. His intermedia work covers drawings, editions and graphic prints alongside photo collages and overspraying of "old master"-paintings, installations and objects. By no means did he not only keep himself busy with traditional paintings but also early on and extensively with mural paintings in public.
In 1986 - under the alias of "Bananasprayer" - he begins to mark his favourite art places globally with a sprayed banana. On a second level Baumgärtel's project forms the most comprehensive presence of an artist's work in public space.
Thomas Baumgärtel: "The project is primarily a psychological projection test in art - as one is dealing with the banana, so spectators and distinctive people deal with art."
For nearly 25 years Germany's best known sprayer and "action artist" is fighting for the freedom of art with the banana. In the meantime it became a seal of quality and inofficial logo of the international art scene.
The broad lineup of Thomas Baumgärtel's artistic legislating ranges all the way to "action art". The constraints between artwork and action are fluent for him. Besides his subversively spraying activities his performances and happenings have caused a considerable stir more than once. Until today his project "Banane im Brandenburger Tor" (Banana at the Brandenburg Gate) in Berlin is waiting for a starting signal.

In 2011 the "Spraybanana" celebrates its 25th anniversary. At the art Karlsruhe the Neue Kunst Gallery will honor Baumgärtel's work in a One- Artist- Show.


Michael Oess
Neue Kunst Gallery