Born in 1974 in Konstanz, Germany, Gabriel Vormstein studied at the Staatlichen Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Karlsruhe from 1995-2001. He currently lives and works in Berlin. His work has been exhibited at international venues such as Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Magazin Vienna, CCA Andratx, Artpace San Antonio, and the 4th Berlin Biennale. Inspired by 20th century masters such as Mondrian, Schiele, Klimt, and Warhol, Vormstein’s paintings unsettle modernism’s most iconic aesthetics to challenge the values of historical authenticity, authorship, and hierarchical power. Often appropriating art historical motifs, his images are painted directly onto newspapers rather than canvas, and sometimes incorporate common household materials as collaged elements; rendered with a fragile sensibility, their assumed meaning and connotation is made uncertain and corrupted by the underlying text and imagery.
