Life and Work
Since the 1990s, Stefan à Wengen has worked on larger groups of works that investigate questions of cultural codes and memory. Issues such as the foreign or the strange, death and memory, melancholy, existence, sexuality, anxiety, and the uncanny form the core of his artistic work. Empty landscapes, animal and human portraits, and reoccurring representational motifs make up part of his pictorial repertoire. His motifs are reminiscent of images from art history, film, or the subconscious.
Starting from the strange and uncanny, Stefan à Wengen uses his serial working method to explore questions about the culture and nature of human existence. With recourse to art history, ethnology, literature, philosophy, film, media as well as his own memories mysterious sceneries develop, which offer viewers a reflection of their own world of experience along with all its abysses. Symbolic pictorial elements are combined to form a new, individual pictorial reality, which emanates something threatening and oppressive. Skulls, animal skeletons, and moths painted with great attention to detail evoke an awareness of the transience of earthly existence. Mysterious interiors, lonely architectures, or abandoned boats in alien landscapes
address themes such as fear, strangeness, and the other. Influenced by the artist's individual travel experiences through the jungle, his motifs recall the beginnings of human history.
The ongoing series of works »Detected Dictionary« (since 2014) is dedicated to images of cultural memory. Worn-out teddybears, flower still lifes, toadstools and animals, all isolated on a 30 x 25 cm canvas mounted on wood, belong to this »wunderkammer of the subconscious«. The pictures in this series are strictly black-and-white with various shades of gray, accentuating à Wengen's technically sophisticated and detailed painting style.
The unusual name of the Basel-born painter comes from the direct lineage of the Basel painter family à Wengen, which dates back to the 16th century. Stefan à Wengen's works have been shown internationally in numerous exhibitions and can be found in important public and private collections in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the USA, and Switzerland, including the Kunstmuseum Basel and the Kunstmuseum Luzern.
Stefan à Wengen lives and works in Düsseldorf.
Biography
1964 | born in Basel, CH |
1981 – 1986 | Visits the School of Design, Basel, CH |
1988 – 1990 | lives and works in New York, US |
1991 – 1998 | lives and works in Cologne, DE |
1999 | lives and works in Dusseldorf, De |
2011/12 | Teaching and workshops at the Haute École d'Art et Design, Geneva, CH |
2013 | Co-founder of the project space SPAM-CONTEMPORARY, Dusseldorf, DE |
2016 – 2018 | Lecturer for art history at the Kulturforum Neuß, DE |
Prizes and Awards
2000 | Eidgenössischer Preis für freie Kunst, Basel, CH |
1989 | Eidgenössisches Kunststipendium, Lucerne, CH |
1987 | Kiefer-Hablitzel-Stipendium, Montreux, CH |
Works (Selection)
Solo exhibitions (selection)
2024 | Stefan à Wengen. The Power of Love, Museum Ratingen, Ratingen, DE Stefan à Wengen – Original Gurus und andere Werke, Kunstverein Coburg e.V., Coburg, DE |
2023 | Relics, Bernhard Knaus Fine Art, Frankfurt a. M., DE |
2022 | Animal Farm, Galerie Wilms, Venlo, NL |
2021 | Boo!-tiful. 100 Boo!-ties, Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art, Dusseldorf, DE |
2020 | Le Singe Peintre, Bernhard Knaus Fine Art, Frankfurt a. M., DE |
2019 | Stefan à Wengen. Versions. Die Toteninseln, Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art, Dusseldorf, DE Instant Panoptikum, Zero Fold, Cologne, DE Obstacles – Cabinet of Magic Objects, Tony Wuethrich Galerie, Basel, CH |
2018 | Stefan à Wengen – Le Singe Peintre, Tony Wuethrich Galerie, Basel, CH |
2017 | Original Gurus und andere Werke, Kunsthalle Viersen, Viersen, DE |
2016 | Ein Madrigal (mit Corsin Fontana), Tony Wuethrich Galerie, Basel, CH No Man's Land, Bernhard Knaus Fine Art, Frankfurt/ Main, DE |
2015 | Detected Dictionary, Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art, Dusseldorf, DE |
2013 | My Captive Heart, Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art, Dusseldorf, DE |
2012 | The Occurrence, Jiri Svestka Gallery, Prague, CZ Hieronymus Painting and some Trophies, Galerie Wilms, Venlo, NL |
2011 | Comfortably Numb, Jiri Svestka Gallery, Berlin, DE |
2010 | The Mission, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Lucerne, CH |
2009 | Nightology, Black & White Gallery, New York, US |
2008 | Nightology, Witzenhausen Gallery, Amsterdam, NL |
2004 | Night Playground, Adamski Frehrking Wiesehöfer, Cologne, DE Secretos, Galería Fúcares, Madrid, ES |
2002 | Kava Kava, Adamski Frehrking Wiesehöfer, Cologne, DE |
2001 | Peter Piller, Adamski Frehrking Wiesehöfer, Cologne, DE Zwölf Uhr mittags, Kunstraum Riehen, Riehen, CH |
Group exhibitions (selection)
2024 | Palagonisch. Stefan à Wengen, Guiseppe Agnello + Gabriele Massaro Casa dell’Arte, Haus der Kunst, Palermo, Palermo, IT |
2022 | Unendliche Geschichten. Aus der Sammlung Oehmen, Museum Ratingen, Ratingen, DE In the blink of an eye, Beck & Eggeling Internataional Fine Art, Dusseldorf, DE KlimaatExpo 2022, Museum De Fundatie, Zwolle, NL |
2021 | Wild/Schön – Tiere in der Kunst, Kunsthalle Emden, Emden, DE |
2020 | BE schenken, Beck & Eggeling, Dusseldorf, DE Silver Lining, Bernhard Knaus Fine Art, Frankfurt a. M., DE |
2019 | Geheimnis der Dinge – Malstücke, Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, Recklinghausen, DE Friends, etc. La Collection Pierre Keller, Musée Jenisch, Vevey, CH |
2018 | Geheimnis der Dinge. Malstücke, Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art, Dusseldorf, DE 4abstracts2not, QuadrART, Dornbirn, AT Löwensafari, Kunsthalle Luzern, Lucerne, CH Karneval der Tiere – aus der Sammlung des Kunstmuseums, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Lucerne, CH Möglichkeiten von Malerei, Märkisches Museum Witten, Witten, DE Gelb macht glücklich, Beck & Eggeling, Dusseldorf, DE |
2017 | 2017 Guest @ Washington, Aeroplastics, Brussels, BE 100 jaar, Galerie Wilms, Venlo, NL |
2016 | Hinter dem Vorhang – Verhüllung und Enthüllung seit der Renaissance, Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf, DE Drei Positionen aus Düsseldorf, Galerie Bernhard Bischoff & Partner, Berne, CH Zoo – An artists' curated exhibition, Lepsien Art Foundation, Dusseldorf, DE |
2015 | Ein Baum ist ein Baum ist ein Baum, Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art, Dusseldorf, DE |
2014 | Optima Mihi In Chartis, Galerie Römerapotheke, Zurich, CH The Best, Zoya Museum, Modern, SK A Group Show, Galerie Wilms, Venlo, NL |
2013 | Deckkraft Featuring..., Halle Reisholzer Hafen, Dusseldorf, DE Nice Things/ Kleinformate – 20 Jahre Tony Wuethrich Galerie, Tony Wuethrich Galerie, Basel, CH Renaissance Reloaded, Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art, Dusseldorf, DE |
2012 | Aaron van Erp, Stijn Peeters, Bas de Wit, Stefan à Wengen, Podium DAK, Geldrop, NL Scapes – Part Two, Tony Wuethrich Galerie, Basel, CH Im Moment der Bildbetrachtung wird der innere Monolog gestoppt, Kunstsaele, Berlin, DE |
2010 | Portrait de l‘artiste en motocycliste, Musée des beaux Arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds, CH |
2008 | Team 404 & John Armleder – Clinch/Cross/Cut, New Jerseyy, Basel, CH |
2007 | Die Kunst zu sammeln, Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf, DE Kava Kava – Facetten der Angst, Kunstmuseum Mülheim, Mülheim/ Ruhr, DE |
2005 | Aqua Reel, Galerie Römerapotheke, Zurich, CH |
2004 | Fúcares de papel, Galería Carmen de la Calle, Jerez de la Frontera, ES |
2003 | paint, Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich, CH Gäste, Galerie Fricke, Berlin, DE Yellow Pages, Kunsthalle Palazzo, Liestal, CH Harald Vlugt, Bergmann & van Laake, Amsterdam, NL Fink forward, Kunsthaus Glarus, Glarus, CH Der Mondopunkt, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, DE Sling Shot Project, New York, US |
2002 | Point of View, Galerie Anita Beckers, Frankfurt/ Main, DE |
2001 | Ex(o)DUS, Haifa Museum of Art, Haifa, IL |
2000 | Eidgenössische Preise für freie Kunst 2000, Fri Art – Centre d’art contemporain, Freiburg, CH |
EXHIBITIONS AT BECK & EGGELING (SELECTION)
Publications
Stefan à Wengen. Die Einäscherung eines Esels
- Artist: Stefan à Wengen
Editor: Beck & Eggeling Kunstverlag
Text: Stefan à Wengen - German
Hardcover, 22 x 14,5 cm
393 pages - Beck & Eggeling Kunstverlag, 2023
ISBN 978-3-94606329-2 - sold out
Stefan à Wengen. Detected Dictionary
- Artist: Stefan à Wengen
Editor: Ute Eggeling, Michael Beck
Text: Stefan à Wengen, Raimund Weyers
Design: Beck & Eggeling (Martina Löhle) - German, English
Softcover, 21 x 25 cm
80 pages, 53 illustrations - Beck & Eggeling Kunstverlag, 2015
ISBN 978-3-93091998-7 - 20 €
bibliography
Detected Dictionary Beck & Eggeling Kunstverlag (Hg.), Düsseldorf 2015 |
Renaissance Reloaded Beck & Eggeling Kunstverlag (Hg.), Düsseldorf 2013 |
The Mission Kunstmuseum Luzern (Hg.), JRP Ringier, Zürich 2010 |
Nightology Black & White Gallery (Hg.), New York 2009 |
Die Kunst zu sammeln Katalog Museum Kunstpalast (Hg.), Düsseldorf, 2007 |
Kava Kava - Facetten der Angst Kunstmuseum Mülheim an der Ruhr, Mühlheim a.d. Ruhr (Hg.) Kerber Verlag, Bielefeld/Leipzig 2007 |
Fink forward- the collection/connection Kunsthaus Glarus (Hg.), Edition Fink, Zürich 2003 |
Der Mondopunkt Künstlerhaus Bethanien (Hg.), Edition Fink, Zürich 2003 |
Ex(o)DUS Haifa Museum of Art (Hg.), Israel 2000 |
Eidgenössische Preise für freie Kunst Katalog Fri-Art, Centre d`Art Contemporain, Kunsthalle Fribourg, BAK, Bern 2000 |