Art as upcycling – upcycling as art.
The world’s first exhibits of this kind.
Unique pieces with potential for appreciation in value.
PHILOSOPHY
With my art, I want to take a stand against consumerism and the throwaway society. For me, upcycling means not only recycling used materials, but also giving unique objects from the past a new lease of life.
With this in mind, I collect used aluminium coffee capsules from all over the world, which I carefully clean and process. Unevenness, signs of wear and, above all, the technically necessary perforation in the upper part of the capsule underline the philosophy of upcycling and are intentional. I combine the modern, shiny aluminium surface of the coffee capsules with the patina of past centuries, among other things.
Two fundamental design principles characterise my art objects: harmony and contrast.
The harmonious series of objects is based on square bases made of high-quality materials such as porcelain stoneware, stainless steel, wood, painted canvas… In combination with recycled aluminium capsules and high-quality leather, this results in an impressive spectrum of modern object design.
In the contrasting series of objects, an antique item forms a striking backdrop that tells its own unique story with clearly visible signs of wear. The coffee capsules provide a successful modern contrast. In some selected objects, I further emphasise the traces of the past with gold leaf, gold bronze or gold dust.
With my art, I want to remind people that the old is always the basis for the new. Without the old, the new would never have come into being. That is exactly what I do: I let something new grow out of old, mostly antique objects – unique pieces that in turn tell their own story and take on a new value.

GERHARD KIENZLE GRAPHIC DESIGN AND ARTIST
THE DUTY:
1979 – A-levels at Friedrich List Business School, Karlsruhe
1979 – 1981 – Military service
1981 – 1985 – Graphic design studies at the University of Applied Sciences for Design, Mannheim
1985 – University degree with distinction
1985 – 1990 – Graphic designer at Max W. A. Kamer GmbH, Karlsruhe
1990 – 2000 – Creative team leader at Heine, Reitzel & Partner, Direkt Marketing GmbH, Ettlingen
2000 – 2013 – Art Director, hrp dialog GmbH & Co KG, Ettlingen
2013 – 2023 – Art Director offline Studiengemeinschaft Darmstadt GmbH
From 2024 onwards, freelance graphic designer and artist.
THE FINISHING TOUCH:
classical photography (film/slides)
slide cross-fading technique
digital photography
abstract painting in acrylic
Interior planning and design
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