Stefan Strumbel. Exhibition (Forum for Contemporary Art)

Cuckoo clocks and Bollenhut hats have become famous around the globe as synonyms for Germany's southernmost region, the Black Forest. Where pine forests and green meadows promise slowing down and hours of leisure, 33-year-old artist Stefan Strumbel lives and works. He is an enfant terrible, cosmopolitan, and rising star of the German and international art scene. His artistic roots lie in street art. To this day, he has remained true to his spray can. When the Offenburg native quotes the traditional trademarks of his homeland, the image of a quiet homeland idyll quickly becomes a loud, ironic provocation. Picture titles such as "What the fuck is heimat?", masked girls in traditional costume, or cuckoo clocks with quirky, colorful carvings are intended to encourage us to rethink our idea of ​​home. The message is: home is borderless, because home can mean many things and something different for each of us. Stefan Strumbel, the Black Forest homeland graffiti artist, breaks with his work the cliché of home as a place of unrest that can no longer be clearly defined. "Can't buy Heimat" is the name of the first neon installation by Offenburg artist Stefan Strumbel, which now competes with "Holy Heimat," an illuminated crucifix, in the rooms of Neuenbürg Castle. For the first time in an exhibition, the artist, known for his homeland theme, is showing not only his first Bollenhut girl, but also the cuckoo clock that the editors of the New York Times once chose for their cover. Overall, the exhibition represents a dense and unique overview of the works with which the Black Forest artist has caused a sensation, both internationally and since 2008. (JM)