Felix Leon Westner


Exhibition view, 2019 courtesy the artist and EIGEN + ART Lab.

Felix Leon Westner, A Bonbon, 2022, Permanent Ink and Spray Paint on Aluminum, 43 x 33 cm


Exhibition view, 2022 courtesy the artist and Galerie EIGEN + ART. 


Exhibition view, 2019 courtesy the artist and EIGEN + ART Lab.

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Felix Leon Westner, The sound of things falling, 2022, Bitumen-marker on aluminium, 135 x 104 cm

Felix Leon Westner, Soft Fruit Hardcore And A Bit Blue, Bitumen-marker on aluminium, 2022, 135 x 104 cm

Felix Leon Westner

Felix Leon Westner’s performances are socio-critical multimedia collages of words, drawings and several live generated tracks, using his own voice and a looper. Each performance is a mainly improvised, unique piece and the point of reference is often the exhibition venue or the events meta topic itself. This is the basis of his working practice and at the same time it forms the material for his visual work.
His practice oscillates between vibrancy and concretism. The sound and the sketches are interwoven but also seem to emend each other. The words that grow out of the rushing discourse of noise can form sentences that end up as slogans in his drawings. Or they become shortened again or crossed out (which happens a lot and is a key tool of how Felix Leon molds sentences out of words, meanings out of language – and the other way around).
In between concrete poetry, music and visualization, the mutual inspirations of acoustic and visual stimuli have become an eternal, almost inexhaustible, feedback loop for Felix Leon. His works have been shown in several renowned galleries and institutions over the last years.

Felix Leon Westner was born 1983 in Georgsmarienhütte wich is near Osnabrück, he didn’t spend much time there, moved a lot with his mother who was an actress, 1998 he ended up in Munich, finished school earlier, apprenticeship as a metal worker, played drums, drew on walls, listened mainly to hip hop/dancehall and drum’n bass, tried to be friends with his father, was babysitting his stepbrother and watched TV, bouncer at a bar named Rakete where his bike got stolen, wrote and drew what people talked about late at night, listened to electronic music/new wave and house, traveled to India, Indian pop/goa trance and traditional chanting, came back after nine month, played in a band again (funk), 2007 finally studied fine arts (worked at fairs as a stand builder to afford that), overpainted fair advertisements, played in a band again (open genre), worked with video, worked with traces, drew traces, used text in drawings, tried to write songs, still in Munich, often times in Leipzig, worked with Julius Heinemann, in Cairo for some time, listened to depressive electronic music, studied with Olaf Nicolai, installations vs performances, spent time in Hamburg because of love, 2010 he became a father of a daughter (Mathilda) with his partner Sarah Lehnerer, caring for the daughter, suddenly lots of family around, 2014 moved to Vienna together, less family around, started drawing more, made music with Bernhard Rappold and Carlos Vasconcelos, tried to understand noise music, Bavarian State Prize, performed a lot, drew on walls again, 2015 moved to Berlin together but separated but lived together, moved out, moved in, listened to techno, found a cat for the daughter, supported by Collection Born, worked at a framers shop to make a living, framed most of his works, first proper studio, first broken car, bigger but cold studio, different works, performance and drawing, locked down, unframed most of his works, first biennale (without physical presents), performing less, still living in Berlin, recently got a wisdom tooth out…

August 2022

CV

Felix Leon Westner

lives and works in Berlin

2009 – 2014 Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Munich
2012 – 2014 Meisterschüler bei Prof. Olaf Nicolai

Scholarships/Awards (selection)

2023 Artist in residence, Brigade Galerie – Havanna, Kuba
2022 Neustart Kultur Stipendium, Stiftung Kunstfonds
2020 Artist in Residence, Schnittstelle, Neustrelitz (DE)
Atelierförderung des BBK Berlin (DE) 
2017 Artist in Residence, Collection Born, Chateau de Dampierre (FR)
2016 Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis (DE)
2015 Stipendium für Bildende Kunst, LHS Munich (DE) 
2014 Debutantenförderung des BBK München (DE) 
2013 Reisestipendium der Marschalk von Ostheimschen Stiftung Bambergm (DE)
2012 Oscar-Karl-Forster-Stipendium-Fonds, Munich (DE)
2015 Finalistenpreis der Heitland Foundation Celle
2015 rtist in Residence, Atelier Al-Qahera, Kairo (DE) 

 

Solo Exhibitions (selection)

2023 Mal mir ein(en) Beat, Fahrender Raum, München
It’s ok – It’s not ok, Solo Performance und Ausstellung, mit Sarah Lehnerer, Brigade Gallery Residency Havana, Kuba
2022 Moving in stereo, Mercedes Benz Museum, Performance zur Eröffnung der Sammlungsausstellung, Stuttgart
Close to during or even after – I’m not a DJ, Performance Festival Limassol, Zypern
Soft Fruit Hardcore And A Bit Blue, Brigade Galerie, Kopenhagen
2021 Breadcrumb – book launch (Art in your sandwich), Onomatopee 219, WirWir, Berlin
I killed some parts for what they did – FANTASY RAP, Eigen+Art Lab, Berlin
To The Sticks, Interface, Perfomance mit Bernhard Rappold, Berlin
New Borders, Schnittstelle, Neustrelitz
Reduced to the max, Galerie Sabine Knust, München
In the beginning I was a real Artist, Teaching Performance, Royal Collage of Art, London
Hello Happy – reloaded, Die Wand #9, Rheingau Founders (Eigen und Art Lab), Berlin
On the occasion of the current event, Private Sammlung, München
make a wish – microdose, Eigen und Art Lab, Berlin
WHEN I CAME INTO THE ROOM, ALLE WAREN NUR SO LISTENING, Performance mit Bernhard Rappold, Mauve, Wien
2018 Hello Happy – On The Otherside, SOX, Berlin
Art to understand, THNK School, Amsterdam
Hello Happy – Morning Show, Cashmere Radio, Berlin
Jamonline, Buchpräsentation und Ausstellung mit Julius Heinemann, Jahn und Jahn Galerie, München
Look at you, Galerie Wienerroither & Kohlbacher/ Karl und Faber, Wien
2017 Look at you two, Broken Demanche Press, Berlin
Bernhard Rappold and the lost Incas feat. Felix Leon Westner, Zentrale jetzt, Wien
2016 Eileen (Performance in der baraque de chantier von Olaf Nicolai), Kunstmuseum Thurgau, Kartause Ittingen
Incidental memory (aliens), Performance zur Erstsemester Begrüßung der AdBK München
Random access (undisclosed recipients), Performance mit Julius Heinemann, Proyectos Monclova, Mexiko Stadt
2015 Tough Guys Soft Ice, Performance, Rooftopgallery, Istanbul
2014 Debutanten, Galerie der Künstler, BBK München
2012 Jamsessions, mit Julius Heinemann, Weltraum, München
Leerstelle, Erlöserkirche, München
Communication Via Mountain Crystals, mit Sarah Lehnerer, Lotte, Stuttgart
2011 Im Großen und Alles, mit Julius Heinemann, Golden Pudel Club, Hamburg
Grober Zilpzalp, mit Julius Heinemann, Weltraum, München
2009 Konkrete Büroarbeit, mit Julius Heinemann, Weltraum, München
2008 undercover, mit Julius Heinemann, Atelier Al-Qahera, Kairo

Group Exhibitions (selection)

2022 m.T., Galerie EIGEN + ART, Leipzig (DE)
2021 EKuli‘, Mauer, Cologne (DE)
The Fine Hands Show, Museumszentrum Ploshad Mira, Biennale Krasnoyarsk
Ping Pong Art Basel, M54, Basel (CHE)
2020 Artvent, Vogel Art Edition, Munich (DE)
This house is not a home, k hybrid, Lothringer 13 Halle, Munich (DE)
Reloaded, Galerie Eigen und Art, Leipzig (DE)
2019 make a wish – last minute, Brandenburgischer Kunstverein, Potsdam (DE)
Hello Happy – Happy Go Lucky, Le Lucky, HVW8 Galerie, Berlin (DE)
2018 Hello Happy – In The Future, Kunsthalle Vienna (AUT)
2017 Hello Happy, EchoEchoEchoEcho, Art Basel (CHE)
„the roof…“, Soundperformance und Artcar live drawing, Dampierre (FR)
Look at you, Klangkunst Festival, Europäisches Künstlerhaus, Freising (DE)
Dystopia X, Lage Egal, Berlin (DE)
K 2016, circuits and currents, Athen (GRC)
Spreez at Dash, DASH, Kortrijk (BE)
Work-Do+:Very (Anti)productive Systems, Galeria Pilar, Sao Paulo (BRA)
2016 The Ritual Box, La Rambleta, Valencia (SPA)
2015 You’ve Seen Me Before I. Between Appropriation and Déjà-vu, Mumok, Vienna (AUT)
Lesen [literatur], Performance, Kunstraum Niederösterreich, Vienna (AUT)
Artificial Labor, Kunstpavillon, Munich (DE)
2014 WITH SMALL WORDS, Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna (AUT)
Enter the light, Performancetag, Simultanhalle, Cologne (DE)