Tag: Christian Boehmer

1763. Upfest 2018 (57)

The candle has blown out on the European project for the UK and this wonderful piece by Christian Boehmer (Böhmer) a German artist whose work I first saw at Upfest last year and have tracked on Instagram ever since. His trademark is that all the people in his works have paper bags over their heads to play with the idea of anonymity.

Christian Boehmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Christian Boehmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I still find our national vote to leave Europe deeply embarrassing and depressing and can’t believe what a pig’s ear we are making of it. The ‘Britain first’ narrative does not chime for me. It stinks of arrogance and intolerance – behaviours I and many others dislike. This piece I find quite a poignant reminder of our collective folly.

Christian Boehmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Christian Boehmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I do like Christian Boehmer’s work and was pleased to have seen his return to Upfest. I rather hope he comes again next year and that I get a chance to meet him.

 

 

623. Upfest 2016 (93)

There were an enormous number of works to look at and absorb at Upfest 2016, and inevitably some didn’t register at the time, but were snapped in the moment and retained. This piece, by Christian Boehmer, was one of those that I don’t recall, but that I am so pleased I captured so that I have been able to study it and enjoy it in preparing to write this post.

Christian Boehmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Christian Boehmer, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

Boehmer, from Germany, is an artist who creates urban street art and drawings which have a common thread, all the figures have a paper bag over their head. I rather like this, in part because it satisfies my love of surreal art, but also because there is something very powerful in obscuring people’s faces and expressions. You need to study more their clothes, bodies, gestures, movements and so on without being distracted by the face. And then you are left being curious about the face and the personality. I like this piece a lot.