Meet our campaign artist Daniel Engelberg

Dutch
French

Get to know Daniel Engelberg, whose fascinating abstract artwork ‘Inandout #1’ is featured as part of our campaign for the 15^th edition of Affordable Art Fair Brussels (7 – 11 February 2024, Tour & Taxis).

We sat down with the Munich-based artist to find out more about his background, practice, creative process and more. Read on to hear from Daniel himself. 

Hi Daniel. We’re so excited to feature your work for our 2024 campaign. First of all, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m Daniel Engelberg and I was born in Munich where I am also currently based. After high school, I started studying social sciences, but I quickly realized that it was not the right path for me. I wanted to work with my hands and build or create things. So, I decided to change my studies and started an education in wood sculpturing in Munich. After this I decided to go to the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg to study sculpturing. I then continued with a Master in the class of Professor Claus Bury in Nuremberg, and then finished my Master at the Fine Arts school in Munich in the class of Professor Hermann Pitz. Since my graduation in 2013, I am a full-time artist.

Your work ‘inandout #1’ is on this year’s Affordable Art Fair Brussels campaign. Can you tell us more about this piece?

‘Inandout #1’ is a made of a wood panel. The dark blue rings were cut in the wood and the entire surface was then colored with a brush by hand. I then poured resin on the entire surface in order to create a glossy finish. The work is part of the series ‘inandout’. I currently have three works which belong to this series, and I will definitely expand this series of work with some new pieces.

‘Inandout #1’ is all about color and form and the impression of depth and three dimensionality. It is a flat artwork, but I want the viewer to have the feeling that the work has multiple layers and to be, in a way, sucked in by the painting. The repetition of these rings gives the impression of depth. The colors are in a gradient from light to dark and so it gives an impression of optical illusion. It’s like if there would be a room behind the surface.

What is the inspiration behind the different shapes in your work?

Every series of work has its own background and idea. For instance, the idea for my stick series called ‘Modul-Objekt’ came to me by coincidence. I use wooden sticks to mix all the different colors that I create for my works. For some works I create over 30 different colors. When I am done working with one color, I always throw the stick on my table. At the end of this organic process, I have a pile of colored sticks, and this is how the idea for this series came about.

But in general, I am very interested in architectural structures. It’s the base of all my thoughts. I really enjoy the work of my former Professor at the Fine Arts school in Nürnberg, Claus Bury, who designs and builds large-scale architectural sculptures in rural and urban spaces.

During my studies I became interested in the architectural forms that you see in my work today; they are always somehow connected. In architecture, you find recurring elements and shapes. I take one of these elements, for example a ring in the case of my ‘inandout’ series, and then replicate it until some kind of construction is built. I then try to emphasize the form with the color gradients.

It is very important to me to build a bridge between sculpture and painting. I always say that my work is like painting through the eyes of a sculptor!

What is your creative process?

I am really interested in building structures, and I mainly start with one segment, line or form. I design a form on my computer or in a sketchbook and then try to replicate or scale it until a kind of structure is developed. When I have the feeling that I have a good ensembl that feels balanced, then I start working on it fully.

How has your work evolved over time?

My work has evolved quite a bit. Like I said earlier, I began my studies in traditional wood sculpturing. This was good as it taught me to work with my hands. When I started studying contemporary art, I first created site specific installations. I made huge installations in indoor spaces. They looked a bit like a theatre stage. The installations I created were mostly only shown once for a specific space. Visitors would step in the room and be fully immersed in the installation. I did this kind of work for many years.

After my studies, when I started working on my own, things changed, and I wanted to try something different and evolve my work. For my installations, I liked to use raw materials and construction materials which you would find in a hardware store. In my current work I first orientated myself at the colors of these construction materials. It took many years to get to the work that I am doing now. If you look at my work from 10 years ago and my current work, you wouldn’t think it is the same artist.

As an artist, how does a typical day look like for you?

I would say that there’s no typical day because there are so many different things I need to do, so every day is completely different. But, there are definitely no weekends! I also have to do some planning, admin work and think about my galleries and clients. The best days are when I make it out to my studio, but it’s not always possible. I have a very quiet studio, which is located in the outskirts of Munich where I can be in peace and focus on my work.

What do you enjoy about Affordable Art Fair?

Affordable Art Fair Brussels 2023 was the first time that my work had been shown in an Affordable Art Fair with Gallery Ritter. It was such a great experience being there. The vibe was great at the fair. We met many gallerists and artists and had great conversations with the visitors. We’re very much looking forward to our third Affordable Art Fair Brussels this coming February.

Join us at the 15th edition of Affordable Art Fair Brussels (7 – 11 February 2024, Tour & Taxis) to see Daniel’s work up close at Gallery Ritter’s stand.