Black / White

A delicate creature of ephemeral beauty, the butterfly has always played a special role in art history. Painters like Vincent Van Gogh and Salvador Dali frequently made the butterfly the subject of their work, and it has also gained traction in the contemporary art scene – not least through Damien Hirst’s Butterfly Colour Paintings.

In his two latest series, Black and White, Heiko Hellwig also celebrates the beauty and uniqueness of these colourful insects. Set before a black or white background, his incredibly detailed pieces let us admire the individual characteristics of each butterfly. From the shimmering metallic scales to the glossy compound eyes and fragile feelers, Hellwig presents the vivid insects as if though under a magnifying glass.

We immediately appreciate the rare quality of the images Hellwig preserves for all eternity. The works focus on the ambivalent relationship between beauty and finality of life – an apparent contradiction that lends Hellwig’s works a distinct melancholy.

Koi

Hellwig’s Koi series can be seen as a logical progression of his oeuvre. We can make out the finest scales forming patterns on the fish like finely composed patterns. The clear contours and monochrome background are characteristic of Hellwig’s minimalistic and precise aesthetic.

Blossom

In his new series, Blossom, Hellwig reveals the beauty of flowers. “I am consciously focusing on a single perfect flower instead of a colorful, overflowing bouquet,” the artist says. Hellwig delves deep into these individual flowers, examining their gently curving petals. Hellwig views his work as the modern extension of the classic still life, with a meditative focus on the essence.

Cut-Out

Heiko Hellwig has expanded his existing repertoire with two cut-out butterflies, making nature’s splendor accessible in a new way. These butterflies are elegantly mounted under acrylic glass, a perfect way to accent their delicate and colorful beauty. They are typical Hellwig artworks, and yet they are different; an impressive combination of natural beauty and an innovative art concept.

Grand Ballet 

Small ornamental fish are transformed into fine art in Heiko Hellwig’s Grand Ballet series. The photo artist takes a few centimeters of subject matter and transforms into a series of works in epic dimensions. Every detail of the animal can be seen, every scale, every color, and every swell in their elegant fins. Hellwig gives the Southeast Asian fighting fish a stage that does them justice. They are depicted in a minimalist manner against a black background, thus emphasizing the intensity of their color and the gracefulness of their movement. The rippling water positions the fish and cunningly complements their dynamic poses.

These fish have a reputation in Southeast Asia. Their ornamental beauty is highly valued. Their magnificent colors and extravagant fins, that spread out like fans in the water, are beloved like special jewels in the aquarium. The males are known for their competitive behavior, which birthed the species its name. Their confrontations are characterized by spectacular maneuvers, which sometimes resemble the martial arts. The movements are simultaneously ballet and combat.

Heiko Hellwig was born in 1960 in Wuppertal, Germany. He spent his youth in the USA and learned his trade at various photo studios throughout Germany. By 1991, he had already opened his first photo studio. In 2005, he and artist Juliane Spitta co-founded the gallery Zukunftslabor in Stuttgart, Germany, where he currently lives and works.

Solo Exhibitions (Selection)

2010	Heiko Hellwig, Galerie Zukunftslabor, Stuttgart, Germany

Group Exhibitions (Selection)

2014	Changing Realities, The underground station at Alexanderplatz, Berlin, Germany
	Gegenlicht 21, Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
2012	Kunst in der Region, Kunstverein Kirchheim, Kirchheim, Germany

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