iLlegal housing 2018 / We are here

Hundrich - on my own behalf My works are emerging. They arise and exist. So begins their life. They exist ... in the open and closed space, in the countryside, in the urban areas, and in the socio-political life. There is no historical basis, no philosophical and no psychological urge that needs to explain their existence. Their existence is not the subject of any artistic agenda or coercion. They are neither echoes of the past nor a method of coping with its problems. They do not even arise from a socio-political necessity. There is only one reason: it is my language, the language which I have chosen to get in contact with this world, to communicate with people, and to confront the issues I see. It's my way, my contribution to what is happening in this world. I see the world and see what is happening. I observe, reflect, and think about it and then find my own position. This creates a field of tension out of which my artistic endeavors develop. Sometimes, themes are brought to me but at other times they thrust themselves upon me. During special times, projects simply appear with a seemingly natural sense of necessity. I accept those tasks, problems, and questions in order to find new ways of addressing them. I also try to find new possibilities and new solutions using the media that are available to me. This applies to art as well as to life. Michael Stoeber, a German art critic, described it thus: "The artist loves variety. He works faithfully to the Latin maxim : . . Variatio delectat (Variation delights). He hates one-dimensionality and repetition. He loves the constant new beginning, exalting in the experience of finding new conquests in art and life. A feeling, no one has praised as well as Hölderlin with brevity and vitality with the quote, “There have never been as many beginnings.” Herbert Hundrich wants and needs to test himself in the arts. He is what the French, in quite a praiseworthy and respectful manner, call “a touche à tout:” somebody who needs to touch everything. Indeed, the range of artistic activities in which the studied sculptor has already proven himself is impressive and awe-inspiring. Hundrich is not only a sculptor, but also a painter, draftsman, photographer, filmmaker, choreographer, performance and installation artist, and an author of artists' books.” Martin Breuninger, a German journalist living in Spain, wrote: "Hundrich approaches even the most difficult projects. In beginning there are always sheets of paper and a pencil. Then, he includes people, spaces, and environments. At the end a new life is created for everyone involved, including participants and the audience. It may only be for one moment but that’s what counts, because such a moment remains in memory.” Sineu, August 2014