Biography:
Martin Welzel was born in Warstein (Germany) in 1968. After studying German and philosophy (Bonn), he trained as a gardener. He began a serious career as an artist with his first exhibitions on the topic of “Fantastic Art” in 1998 and has since focussed on painting and illustration. Furthermore, he also showed in the fields of body painting and performance and became known in object design and land art. He lives and works in Bonn and maintains his own weblog, which playfully combines his various artistic activities.
As his theme “Fantastic Art” suggests, Martin Welzel is interested in breaking through reality with elements that have a magical effect and bathe everything in a light that seems to be reaching out beyond this world. He uses playful elements to mediate between nature and dream worlds, the representational and the supra-space-temporal, and to create free spaces for the imagination. Nature not only often forms the starting point for his ideas, but is also in constant dialogue with his pictures. It almost seems as if his pictures are tracing a level of nature that is there, but is only revealed or made visible by the artist. Even if his theme always revolves around “Fantastic Art”, he tries to approach it openly and using a variety of techniques: he is an artist who refuses to conform to any scheme and has made trying out the many artistic possibilities his trademark.
Martin Welzel has exhibited his works throughout Germany, including various solo exhibitions. He has been represented internationally by LDXArtodrome Gallery since 2024.
Exhibitions (Selection): 1998 Galerie Unikat, Remagen-Rolandswerth
2000 Universität Bonn; Seehotel Seminaris, Potsdam; Museum Baden, Solingen; „Tag der Raumfahrt“ Deutsches Zentrum f. Luft- und Raumfahrt, Köln; Universität Köln; Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart; „Lange Museumsnacht“ Köln
2001 Kongress-Zentrum Akropolis, Nizza (F); Haus Katz, Jüchen
2002 „Phyto-Art“ Universität Bonn
2003 Kunsthaus Lamai, Hamburg
2005 Planetarium Stuttgart
2006 Fachhochschule Erfurt
2007 Galerie Nova, Hagen; „lichtverbunden“, Deutsches Zentrum f. Luft- und Raumfahrt Köln und Planetarium Bochum
2008 EANA, Espace Louis Agassiz, Neuchâtel (CH); „best off Kunststation“, Bonn; Stadtbücherei Bonn
2009 „Kunst und Astronomie“ Observatorium Hoher List, Daun; „lichtverbunden“ FH Rhein-Sieg, St. Augustin; „WIR PFLANZEN“ Die Kunststation, Bonn
2010 "NAUTEN" viktoria b, Bonn; „Die Kooperative“ KunstRausch Einrich, Ergeshausen; „The-zip-association“, Krefeld
2011 „TEA FOR TREE“ Schwarzrheindorfer Kunsttage, Bonn; „MENSCHENleben“ und „Martin Welzel Malerei“ Galerie Sassen, Bonn
2012 „Phantastische Kunst“ Tor 28, Köln; „FriedensARTen“ Kulturbunker Köln-Mühlheim 2013 „Kunst Im Siegblick“ Galerie Sassen, Hennef
2014 "Freundschaft" Volksbank Warstein;
2015 „NEU“ diekunststation, Bonn; „ALLE“ Galerie Sassen, Köln;
2016 "Verwandelte Worte - Atmende Bilder“ Offene Ateliers der Bonner Altstadt, Bonn
2017 "body in motion", Bonn
2018 "Surreal trifft Irreal" Kult 41, Bonn; "9-Künstler-Ausstellung" Volksbank Warstein
2019 "Faust 1" Kachelsteiner Kulturtage, Königswinter
2022 „BonnTastik“ Altstadt-Lesereise / Kult41, Bonn
2023 "Dreizehn Linden" Ausstellung und Wandgemälde, Bonn
