Painting Tendencies

destructive, and surreal world, yet one that reveals itself upon closer inspection.

Benjamin Burkard’s works are brimming with diversity and rich detail, painterly mastery, and ideas. In his painterly cosmos, Benjamin Burkard creates a fantastical surrealism—a world shaped

by human and biological structures, the richness of the plant world, and architectural elements. In an extremely dynamic, overlapping manner, spaces take shape, human limbs flash into view, new worlds emerge, and nature carves out its own space. The result is a fascinatingly ambiguous, unsettling visual universe that at times appears enigmatic and theatrically staged.

art-historical references, pixels, and fiction merge into a single visual motif.

Benjamin Burkard received a Strabag Award for Recognition in 2025. His work is of impressively high artistic quality, and numerous pieces are already part of renowned collections across Europe.

Apocalyptic scenes, brilliantly rendered in a painterly style. Christian Krieter’s works tell dystopian stories. As if in a foggy haze,

the good is transfigured and darkness takes its course. Krieter creates his own realm—distorted worlds in which disillusionment and darkness reign. The visual worlds appear menacing and relentless; bizarre figures dominate the nighttime scenes; somewhere, something explodes, or there is fire, smoke, and decay. Yet there are also playful elements amid the chaos—balloons and hula hoops

hoop rings. Krieter’s approach is socially critical, convoluted, and intense. Life goes on.

Christian Krieter studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy under Prof. Herbert Brandl and Reinhold Braun, where he graduated as a master student. Christian Krieter is currently the recipient of the Douglas Swan Art Prize!