In his impressive sculptural and pictorial works, Heinz Ackermans (*1949) raises age-old, fundamental questions that must be answered anew by every artist. In a world that is becoming increasingly hardened and deals more hastily with visual imagery, it must seem paradoxical when someone creates works which are meant to last, which do not become obsolete and thus uninteresting. The works of Heinz Ackermans assert themselves with a wilful presence, which heralds a wide array of emotions between merriment and earnestness, body and soul, clarity and mysteriousness.
Ackermans’ figures obviously draw on age-old, mythical models, without hiding their profane, modern existence. His images comprised of wax and wool are something completely new; but exuding from these surprising works is a sense of the archaic, which makes them appear ageless. A comparison with contemporary encaustic paintings – Jasper Johns and Martin Assig are among the few artists who work with this ancient method of wax painting – only serves to underscore Ackermans’ independence. His works develop a sculptural pictorial space and reveal a sense of materiality that seems both old and new at the same time.
Heinz Ackermans lives and works in the UK and Spain.
