Michael Bauer

Michael Bauer - Surrealist shapes between dream and reality

Born in Erkelenz in 1973, Michael Bauer studied at the Braunschweig University of Art in 1998 under Hartmut Neumann and Walter Dahn, one of the most important representatives of the Junge Wilde movement in the 1980s. From this formative period of study, Michael Bauer developed his own style, for which he combines painting techniques from various movements such as Pop Art, Cubism and Surrealism with collaged cut-outs, creating new amorphous structures in which reality is merely reflected in small set pieces. The artist calls the flash of the familiar in the strange a ‘teaser’; these can be everyday objects, but also human body parts, especially male genitals, whilst the abstract streaks and flecks in his paintings become eyes and hands. In addition to his two-dimensional paintings, Bauer repeatedly ventures into space and transfers his artistic principles to sculpture. He has presented his works at solo exhibitions in London, New York, Zurich, Geneva and Turin. In 2008, the book Michael Bauer: Borwasser was published, providing an overview of his artistic work. Michael Bauer also draws inspiration from music, and plays in the Ylmaz House Band with Robert Kraiss and Florian Grass.

Michael Bauer lives and works in Cologne.