There are places that represent a cosmos of their own and where time and space tick differently. And you don't have to travel through space to find them. All you need to do is look around Wiesbaden, know a few addresses and open the right door. One of these places is the Kunsthaus Weinstock. Unlike the traditional Wiesbaden galleries, the one run by Daniela Weinstock and Thorsten Frerk is located directly in their private apartment on Dürerplatz. Once you step inside, you feel like you've entered another world: there are tons of pictures on the walls and sculptures enhance the corners of every room in the 114-square-metre domicile. Even seemingly mundane pieces of furniture blend into the overall picture and are transformed into small works of art. Or at least that's how it appears to laypeople. A typical beginner's mistake.
Between Luxustrash and Noble Punk
Perhaps it is also due to the two art collectors' own style that visitors get lost inside their art house in such a way, get stuck on form and color, and notice a certain eccentricity. "If we were to become our own collected art one day, it would probably be a wild mixture of luxustrash and noble punk," Daniela and Thorsten say of themselves. She is 42 and holds a doctorate in art history, he is 51 and works full-time in IT. Both have known each other since childhood from the Boy Scouts, have lived together for eleven years; both have shared a love of art for decades. In 2019, they opened their private apartment on Dürerplatz to art lovers and unceremoniously declared their home an Artzone.
Pop art has done it to them
They are particularly fond of Pop Art. Why? "Because it's clean and uncomplicated, because it's fun and in a good mood," says Daniela. Their passion for collecting began, she says, when she discovered two portraits of women by a little-known painter for relatively little money in an online auction house. "In the middle of my studies, it was already difficult, but I just had to have them," she says. The first work the two picked out together was by Mel Ramos, with more added over the years. Mel Ramos, who died in California in 2018, was considered a major exponent of Pop Art, as was Andy Warhol.
Warhol's "Marilyn" to greet you
Warhol's works also hang in the entrance area of the Kunsthaus, including the original limited edition "Marilyn - Diamond Dust Marilyn" or "Beethoven" from the Sunday B. Morning Edition. "We were able to buy these sheets at an auction in the USA," explains Thorsten. In addition, it is contemporary and local artists who have taken a liking to the two and whose works they exhibit, curate and, of course, also offer for sale or lease in their gallery. Among them are Wiesbaden artist J. Edward "JES" Seitz and Wiesbaden photographer Marco Stirn, whose images are exhibited by Kunsthaus Weinstock. Inspired by the great pop artists, JES develops his own collages from old posters, lettering and international press, thereby unfolding his own zesty visual language.
An analog image every morning
Marco Stirn's imagery, on the other hand, is captivating in its aesthetic quality and uniqueness; his eye for plays of light and shadow blossomed from countless trips through Brazil and France. Stirn's current project is entitled "Good Morning Olivia" and was created over the course of a year - exactly one picture every morning with an analog camera. Always the same place. Always the same model. Kunsthaus Weinstock has not long been part of the Wiesbaden gallery scene. Corona put a spanner in the collector couple's works. In 2019, they had already started advertising, booking dates for events and trade fairs, and designing an Internet and business presence. After a dry spell of almost two years, the two were quite successful with a booth at the last ARTe fair at the RMCC.
Short Night Pop Up Party
The next event is already in April: On April 9, Kunsthaus Weinstock will be represented at the 20th Short Night of Galleries and Museums. "Under the motto 'Sound Meets ART', we want to really celebrate together and dedicate a party to art," explains Thorsten. This then however not in the own four walls: The PopUp event is organized in the "Marleen" in the Lili at the main station. From 7 p.m. to midnight, visitors can expect works of art by Stirn, JES and Warhol, with musical accompaniment from musicians such as Mona Lisa, Verbis and Rami Hattab. "Art for the eyes and for the ears."