Artist Statement / Bio

Tim Bengel is a contemporary German artist known for his distinctive gold-and-sand collage technique and interdisciplinary approach to art. Born in 1991 in Ostfildern near Esslingen, he studied Art History and Philosophy at the University of Tübingen and continues to live and work in Esslingen, near Stuttgart while pursuing a Master’s degree in Berlin.

Bengel’s artistic journey began with a defiant spirit: at 18, he nearly faced expulsion from school for refusing to attend class—yet in the same year, he won a student art prize that set him on his creative path. Motivated by a desire to “do things differently,” he has consistently explored new forms of artistic presentation and sought connections across disciplines.

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As one of the first German artists to harness the viral power of social media, his videos have been viewed over 500 million times worldwide, with one becoming one of Facebook’s top three most-watched videos in 2017. That same year marked his professional breakthrough with a solo exhibition in New York. Bengel’s works, often characterized by meticulous detail and a white-black-and-gold aesthetic, have since been exhibited internationally.
 

True to his aesthetics, Bengel completed his first large-scale installation in 2019: Flower-Skull-Cemetery at Factory in Berlin-Mitte. The installation features 100 gold-engraved gravestones and invites self-reflection on one’s own life path. Seen from above, the arrangement recalls the Día de los Muertos and the more open engagement with death found in other cultures.
 

His first sculptural work followed in 2021: a solid gold avocado bagel titled Who Wants to Live Forever?, exhibited in Berlin and Miami with Galerie Rother. The piece addresses millennial culture, questions ecological contradictions and consumer trends driven by social media.

In 2023, Bengel initiated and curated the SUPERKRAUT Festival at the Museum StadtPalais Stuttgart, serving as both artist and curator. He invited 15 international artists (among others, Alicja Kwade, David Shrigley, and Chloe Wise) and collaborated with ten acclaimed chefs, including several with Michelin stars, to explore the cultural and culinary dimensions of cabbage. Bengel contributed a 2.5-meter stainless steel sculpture of a Filderkraut cabbage—the first 3D-printed public sculpture of its kind in Germany.

As part of the project, he also collaborated with VfB Stuttgart to design a Bundesliga matchday jersey, drawing international media attention and likely becoming the first contemporary artist to design an official Bundesliga kit.
 

Currently, Tim Bengel is working on several interdisciplinary projects. His goal is to bring art down from its ivory tower, build bridges between places, places and times, and in doing so, boldly step into the future.