Alex Diamond
"One More Tired Thing" (2013, woodcarving, acrylic, 50x50 cm, more info - click image)
Alex Diamond is an artist project conceived by Jörg Heikhaus & heliumcowboy in 2004.
Jörg has been working and exhibiting as an artist since the 90ies, before embarking on different careers in various industries and professions: Jörg has been a photographer, a designer, a newspaper editor, writer of short stories and fiction, founder and creative director of the design agency killakanu, CEO of Internet consultancy Icon Medialab Germany and a freelance business consultant for companies such as Brand Eins, Volkswagen or Universal Music.
Since art was the first true love in his life, opening the art gallery heliumcowboy in 2003 marked the consolidation of his professional experiences, his curiosity and passion.
;)
However, in 2004, Jörg returned to creating his own art with the first exhibition, ,Alex Diamond‘s Strange Sofa‘. In the beginning, this was only a sideline project outside of the gallery, something to „keep my head clear, my hands busy and to stay sane“ (in his own words), not intended to becoming a full time vocation and most definitely not a represented artist of his own gallery.
Slipping into different characters for each exhibition, in 2006 the person creating the artwork (Jörg) was deliberately taken away for an experimental and conceptual journey into celebrity culture. Raising the question wether an artist can be established without a face and vita, Jörg launched a long-term (2007-2010) project: ,Being Alex Diamond“. The result was exhibited in Miami, New York, Barcelona and Hamburg, and finally covered in a book published by Gudberg Verlag, Hamburg (October 2009).
After closing this project with the book and a few shows (and yes, you can establish an artist without ever revealing his/her identity, it is just very complex and requires a lot of additional work), Jörg returned to officially being the originator and creator of Alex Diamond. This is the second phase in „the life of Diamond“, when the work itself moved more in the focus, „not being tied up and busy with covering up the traces all the time“. Jörg moved his studio into a part of his new gallery space for heliumcowboy in 2010 and founded ,The Alex Diamond Mining Company‘, a fictional corporation as basis for all his artistic endeavors.
The work created here develops iteratively in a process that is strongly influenced by tradition and craftsmanship, „in values as well as in tools used“. This can be seen in the works themselves, in the way they are realized, in room concepts and the alteration of spaces, collected materials, multiples, and editions.
Works on and with wood; paintings with acrylics or spray cans as base for complex wood cuts; photographs, which are painted and drawn over; vintage block printing; furniture, installations, and complete rooms entirely out of wood - the extensive and technically wide opus made him into an acclaimed artists of this generation. Alex Diamond exhibited widely in Germany as well as in the USA, Spain and Switzerland.
Artist website: alexdiamond.net
The Alex Diamond Mining Company on facebook.
Images from past shows (selection):
'WIPE OUT', Installation at Millerntor Gallery 2012 (by Viva Con Agua) | Sep 2012
The Alex Diamond Mining Company: You can have your cake, but you can't touch the icing (Kunstverein Buchholz/Nordheide) | Jan - Feb 2012
The Alex Diamond Mining Company (Vicious Gallery, Hamburg) | Aug - Sep 2011
Into The Night (Nice/Nice, Hannover) | Feb 2011
Damage:Control (with Boris Hoppek, Factory Fresh, New York) | Mar 2010
Demon Circus (at Iguapop, Barcelona) also: watch the video | Feb 2010
Don't worry 'bout a thing! (Being Alex Diamond) | Oct 2009
Love me with a Gun to my Head | Nov 2007
;)
You can have your cake, but you can‘t touch the icing (feat. Betty Diamond, Taesch Diamond & Mimi Diamond) photography/collage, wood carving, acrylic paint, aerosol paint, wood 220 x 210 x 12 cm (2011)(click image to enlarge)
Exhibitions (selection)
2012
The Alex Diamond Mining Company: You can have your cake, but you can't touch the icing - Kunstverein Buchholz/Nordheide
2011
The Alex Diamond Mining Company - Vicious Gallery, Hamburg
Into the night - Nice/Nice Galerie, Hannover
2010
Preview Berlin Art Fair – with heliumcowboy artspace; Berlin, Germany
Mountain to Surf – group show, heliumcowboy artspace; Hamburg, Germany
Street Art New York – Silent Auction Benefit for "Free Arts NYC" at Factory Fresh Gallery; New York, USA
DAMAGE:CONTROL – joint exhibition with Boris Hoppek at Factory Fresh; New York, USA
Don’t worry ‘bout a thing 2 | Demon Circus – solo show, Iguapop Gallery; Barcelona, Spain
2009
Charity auction – 15quadrat/Kunstclub; Hamburg, Germany
Don’t Worry ‘bout A Thing! Being Alex Diamond – heliumcowboy artspace; Hamburg, Germany
ARTotale – street art project curated by Rik Reinking; Lüneburg, Germany
Nachschlag! – group show in collab. with NoNewEnemies at heliumcowboy artspace; Hamburg, Germany
VOLTA5 – with heliumcowboy artspace; Basel, Switzerland
Threesome – group show curat. by ArtBAstard.com at Nice Nice Exhibition Space; Hannover, Germany
Das Herz von St. Pauli – group show, Iguapop Gallery; Barcelona, Spain
2008
SCOPE Art Fair Miami – with heliumcowboy artspace; USA
5 years heliumcowboy artspace – gallery anniversary exhibition; Hamburg, Germany
Unseen – group show at Art Basel Design Miami; Switzerland
No New Enemies – group show at Le Musee du Botanique; Brussels, Belgium
SCOPE Art Fair New York – solo booth, with heliumcowboy artspace; USA
Helping Hounds Of Hell – group show at Neurotitan and heliumcowboy artspace; Berlin/Hamburg, Germany
2007
SCOPE Art Fair Miami – with heliumcowboy artspace; USA
SCOPE Art Fair Basel – with heliumcowboy artspace; Switzerland
Don’t Wake Daddy – group show at Feinkunst Krüger; Hamburg, Germany
Love Me With A Gun To My Head – heliumcowboy artspace; Hamburg, Germany
SCOPE Art Fair New York – with heliumcowboy artspace; USA
2006
SCOPE Art Fair Miami – special project Mural, with heliumcowboy artspace; USA
FriendsWithYou-Bootleg Show – group show at heliumcowboy artspace; Hamburg, Germany
2005
Gold, Kinder! – heliumcowboy artspace; Hamburg, Germany
2004
Alex Diamond’s Strange Sofa – incarnation exhibition, heliumcowboy artspace; Hamburg, Germany
Publications (selection)
2011
The Alex Diamond Mining Company – publ. by GUDBERG; Hamburg, Germany | more info/purchase online
2009
Don’t Worry ‘bout A Thing! (Being Alex Diamond) – publ. by GUDBERG; Hamburg, Germany | more info/purchase online
2007
Love Me With A Gun To My Head – exhibition catalogue, heliumcowboy artspace; Hamburg, Germany
Besides, various features in international magazines and newspapers, among them:
ElPais (Spain)
Art Price (Korea)
GUDBERG (Germany)
Art Bastard (Germany)
DP Magazine (Taiwan)
Modart magazine (Europe)
ROJO (Spain)
Actitudes (Spain)
Blond (Germany)
Frame (UK)
