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30 Mar
Publications

Biography

Biography

About two heroes,

bringing a piece of heaven to earth.

THEIR ORIGIN AND CHILDHOOD

Aaron Vinn comes from Cologne. In his childhood he always dreamt the same dream: he wants to fly, to leave everything behind, to be free. This urge for freedom manifested itself in an unconstrained creativity and so already as a teenager he tailored his own clothes, created various accessories, built strange objects and lamps. He liked to create things that were different from what he knew.

Iven Orx grew up in Gdansk. As an altar server, he spent almost every day in church. He was fascinated by the magnificent paintings, the opulent sculptures of saints and the venerable vestments. He liked to break out of the grey everyday life and immerse himself in this perfect, almost paradisiacal world full of pomp and gold. As a teenager, he fled to Germany with his mother to escape the communist regime.

THE CALL OF DETERMINATION

In 2006, Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn met in Cologne. They shared the same longing: to find fulfilment and joy in life.

They quickly realized that their life stories and viewpoints were very similar. They felt they had known each other forever, more than that, they believed they were soul brothers. This was the beginning of a real and deep friendship. And so it happened that within a few days, they moved into a shared flat in Cologne.

Both were desperately looking for a challenging task in their lives and the right place in this world. They worked here and there to be able too keep theirselves afloat. However, on a foggy January morning, something strange happens. Both of them are without jobs and income at that time. In this hopeless situation, they both recall their respective childhoods, much like in a dream, and they surprisingly realized that both of their fathers painted. They both painted pictures, mostly landscapes. A strange thought came over them, ” How would it be to paint ourselves?” They felt very strongly drawn to this vision, more strongly than they had ever felt before in either of their lives. Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn were torn, but they could not deny the strong inner desire and so they decided to become artists.

THE BEGINNING

They wanted to get started right away, so they bought paints, brushes and canvases that same evening, using all their savings. They started painting and it was great fun!

The first abstract paintings were created. Everyone who looked at them recognised another world in them, they aroused emotions and gave people pleasure. The works were loved right away and were gladly bought. Within a very short time, they moved into a real large studio in Cologne, where they created their works of art from then on.

Everything went wonderfully. But after two years a serious problem occurred. Because of the world economic crisis, they abruptly sold almost no more paintings. Their existence as artists was at stake and they could now suddenly lose everything. They had no money left to pay the rent and it even got to the point where they couldn’t even buy themselves something to eat. Despite the serious situation, they were sure that the path as artists was the right one. They remained steadfast. Fortunately, an unexpected encounter occurs.

THE ART AVANT-GARDE

In 2008, Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn met the artist Mary Bauermeister. She is one of the most important Dada artists and is considered the mother of “pre-fluxus”, through her strong involvement in the avant-garde of the 1960s. She was married to the famous composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. Together with the world-renowned artists John Cage, Nam June Paik, Ben Patterson, Georg Brecht and Christo, all of whom are still her closest friends, she paved the way for modernism in her studio in the Lintgasse in Cologne. Her development as an artist was also influenced by meetings with her friends Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol and other Pop Art legends.

The often overlooked proximity to Arte Povera, with earthy materials as well as tachist elements, runs through her entire life’s work. Likewise, the mathematical implementation of the Fibonacci sequence and the golden section can be seen in almost all of her artworks. From the beginning, her ambition was, as she says herself, “…to stretch the jacket of art”. Through her lens boxes, crystal stelae, stone towers and mandalas, she aims to redefine the approach to seeing the world and expand our understanding of what surrounds us. Her artworks can be found in the world’s most important museums, such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum – New York, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) – New York, Whitney Museum of American Art – New York, the Staatliches Museum Schwerin as well as the Museum Ludwig in Cologne.

Mary Baumeister played a defining role in the lives of Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn. As in the tradition of the old masters of the Middle Ages, Mary Baumeister took in Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn. She provided them with meals and allowed them to share in her life as an artist as well as her most intimate creative moments.

Almost every day of their time together, they greeted the day together, ate at the same table and did not go home until late at night. During their three years together, she told them everything about the avant-garde era of the 1960s, her secrets of success from her time in New York and her world-famous friends from her studio in Lintgasse. They learned a lot about her great love Karl-Heinz Stockhausen and about the time with her children. She also told them about her own childhood, how she fared as a war child, about her beginnings as a young artist and her spiritual view of the world. Along the way, she taught Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn about geomancy, colour theory and the universe.

Together with Mary Baumeister, Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn created many new works of art and restored old ones. They prepared countless exhibitions with her and met many interesting personalities, gallery owners and artists. They visited museums together, met her famous friend and art expert Dr. Wibke von Bonin and her enchanting gallery owner Christel Schüppenhauer (Cologne), with whom they jointly arranged the vernissage “A Day in New York – Work in Progress”.

The most important thing that Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn learned from Mary Bauermeister was what is important in making meaningful, world-class art. She showed them how to find themselves as artists, to be free like her. Thanks to her, they now know how to express their most subtle thoughts in the form of art and realise themselves as free spirits.

She was and remains a mentor, friend and their heart’s love. They are indebted to her for All Time Creation. Grateful for her big heart, affection and love with which she embraced, enriched and gifted them boundlessly and without reservation.

THE TIME OF REBELLION

Through their friendship with Mary Bauermeister, Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn gained a new perspective on art. From then on, the desire to create works that defy the usual conventions and chart new paths burned within them.

With the knowledge they had gained, they now felt the world had changed completely. The art in museums and galleries, now seemed to them mostly sad, often grey and full of sorrowful themes.

“THE ART SCHOLARS AND CRITICS WITH THEIR TREATISES: ‘WHAT IS ART AND WHAT IS NOT’ ARE KILLING ART. PEOPLE ARE BEING INCAPACITATED. EACH OF US CAN DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES WHAT ART IS AND WHAT GIVES THEM ENJOYMENT – ONLY THAT COUNTS!”

In their opinion, more weight was being given to art ideology and the bourgeois need for decoration than to the genuine joy of art itself. A new consciousness emerged in them which shaped their being artists and consolidated their profile for all time.

“TODAY’S ART IS LIKE THE NEWS: SERIOUS, STIFF AND BORING. MODERN ART NEEDS: AMUSEMENT, ACTION AND WONDER. AND THAT’S EXACTLY HOW OUR WORKS SHOULD BE!”

ON BEHALF OF THE GODS

One day something happened that changed Iven Orx’s & Aaron Vinn’s lives forever. While they were in their Cologne studio in the Spinnmühlengasse, they suddenly perceived a supernatural voice, it spoke to them:

You are the divine guys and you make divine art

Your mission is:

Bring a piece of heaven to earth.

You are the divine guys and you make divine art

 

Your mission is:

Bring a piece of heaven to earth.

After this revelation, there was only one goal: To fulfill the divine mission. Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn live for their art and they dedicate their lives to all who want to break out of their everyday life and experience something different, something poignant

Since then, they have experimented a lot with surface effects, new materials and light. In doing so, they transcend conventional ways of thinking about art. The boundaries between serious and humorous, art and kitsch are constantly redefined, mixed and blended.
Since then, they have experimented a lot with surface effects, new materials and light. In doing so, they transcend conventional ways of thinking about art. The boundaries between serious and humorous, art and kitsch are constantly redefined, mixed and blended.
In addition to paintings and sculptures, they created their first light installations. The artworks changed and had a different effect now. They became more colorful, more daring and radiated a lot of intensity; they were polarizing more and more, and they should do so.

In their Cologne studio in the Spinnmühlengasse, they still create paintings, light objects, installations, sculptures, photographs, art films and develop their own styles and fashion designs. In doing so, they turn the supposed “art logic” and clichés on their heads. For them, everything is possible that seems unimaginable. They work hard every day at their task and fight for more pleasure and joy in the lives of all of us.

In addition to paintings and sculptures, they created their first light installations. The artworks changed and had a different effect now. They became more colorful, more daring and radiated a lot of intensity; they were polarizing more and more, and they should do so.

In their Cologne studio in the Spinnmühlengasse, they still create paintings, light objects, installations, sculptures, photographs, art films and develop their own styles and fashion designs. In doing so, they turn the supposed “art logic” and clichés on their heads. For them, everything is possible that seems unimaginable. They work hard every day at their task and fight for more pleasure and joy in the lives of all of us.

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28 Mar
Publications, Publications

Art historical expertise

Art historical expertise

The author

Gabriela Szafarska, graduated with honors from the famous University of Warsaw with her master’s degree in art history. She gained her experience on the art market in well-known German and European art houses and galleries. She lives and works in Dusseldorf.

Divine guys, divine art

and its trans-avant-garde mysticism

The world-famous writer and literary scholar Vladimir Nabokov used to say: “Art is a divine game, since the artist, while creating it, approaches God directly as a true creator.”

Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn are a Cologne-based artist duo who are creators of their own transcendental reality. Since 2005 they have been working together in their studio in Cologne, creating paintings, sculptures and art installations. In doing so, they try to “bring a piece of heaven to earth” every day. Their artistic path has undergone many transformations, but has always remained a process aimed at revealing a piece of mysticism.

The Expressionist Paintings

Herbert Kühn wrote 1919, in connection with expressionism: “In expressionism, the represented and the object fall far apart. The represented begins behind the painting. The work no longer contemplates external reality, but proposes another reality, that of the artist.”

In the book ‘The Hero in a Thousand Forms’, Joseph Campell describes that challenges in life always come to us when we are ready for them. It was at such that moment when Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn first met. Both artists are deeply rooted in expressionism, they share a similar aesthetic sensibility, way of representing realities and work ethos.

Arts and energy have much in common, moreover, both are eternal. The energy that an artist manifests and captures in his or her work is transmitted to the viewer and indexes innumerable interpretations and meanings in him or her. This phenomenon can be named in different ways, for example Marshall McLuhan uses the term “electricity”, an element that generates strong aesthetic sensations in the viewer. For him, it is equivalent to the energy of language. This aforementioned “electricity of expression” is the fascinating and hypnotically captivating element that distinguishes the Expressionist works of Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn and makes them special in today’s art market.

Contemporary art has re-evaluated the language of form. Accordingly, one can talk about a deconstruction of the artwork in the classical sense. Jacques Derrida wrote that “there is nothing outside the text itself”, by paraphrasing we can conclude that likewise “there is nothing else but the work of art itself.” Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn go beyond the framing convention, their artworks are not about the search for a single discourse. For them, the artwork itself is the form that represents the only true reality. A reality that reflects positive experiences, pleasure and generally the affirmation of life.

For the artist duo, the creative process is as important as the result itself. Their art is made with focus on every detail, sometimes they even appear more “as written” than painted, which makes them unique and one-of-a-kind. The purity of light, the affirmation of colour, surreal representations of reality as well as purist compositions of pure form, are to be perceived. All these elements combine to generate a new language that is characteristic of ‘Neue Wilde’. Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn reduce the figurative elements to a minimum and interweave it with Gerhard Richter’s monochromatic understanding of colour. In this way, they want to create an ideal, a pure and perfect work of art that is untainted and unencumbered by art movements, trends or theories. Their way of thinking and the interpretation of their art are part of the Transavantgarde. It is characterised by an emotional expression, as well as an intuitive transference of form into a stylistic or formal connection, which in combination reinforces the emotional means of expression.

Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn are constantly exploring new and unexpected fields to expand their horizons of both formal and thematic abilities. They tirelessly sound out their own synthesis of possibilities. Thanks to the artists, new paths open up for us to request and to recreate our own meaning.

Herwarth Walden, the founder of the magazine “Der Sturm”, wrote in 1927: “…the painter presents what he sees in the deepest layers of his consciousness. He expresses himself, the fading reality is merely a symbol for him. He engages in the process of his own self, the outside world carries records into his consciousness, he again brings them to the outside for expression.”

Thus, the art of Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn impresses with an extraordinary form and complexity that allows each of us to generate our own meanings.

For the artist duo, the creative process is just as important as the result itself. Their art is created with a focus on every detail, sometimes even appearing more “as written” than painted, which makes it unique and one of a kind. The purity of light and the affirmation of color as well as form, surreal representations of reality and also puristic combinations of pure form are to be perceived. All these elements combine to form a new language that is characteristic of ‘Neue Wilde’. Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn reduce the figurative elements to a minimum and interweave them with Gerhard Richter’s monochromatic understanding of color. In this way they want to create an ideal, a pure and perfect work of art, which is immaculate and not burdened by art movements, currents or theories. Her way of thinking and the interpretation of her art belongs to the transavant-garde. It is characterized by an emotional expression, as well as an intuitive transfer of the form into a stylistic or formal connection, which in summary strengthens the emotional means of expression.

Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn are always exploring new and unknown areas and expanding their horizons of formal as well as content-related skills. They tirelessly explore their own synthesis of possibilities. Thanks to artists, new avenues open up for us to question and shape our own meaning.

Herwarth Walden, founder of Der Sturm magazine, wrote in 1927: “…the painter presents what he sees in the deepest layers of his consciousness. He expresses himself, the ephemeral reality is only a symbol for him. He engages in the process of his own self, the outside world carries notes into his consciousness, he in turn expresses them to the outside.

The art of Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn impresses with an extraordinary form and complexity, which allows each of us to generate our own meaning.

The Divine Art

The divine has its own genesis at Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn.

Cologne, a city associated with pilgrimages among other things, is a major influence. Because of its large number of sacred objects (buildings, monuments, works of art and relics) the city is a synonym for gold and splendour. It amazes and astonishes at the same time, it has kept its mystical face for centuries. The relics of the Three Kings were brought here from Vercelli (near Milan). Thus Cologne, like Cologne Cathedral, has attracted pilgrims from all over the world from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The skull often appears in the art of “The Divine”. For them, it is an important symbol of the boundary between what is human and what is divine, between this world and the hereafter. In Christianity, the skull is the attribute of the saints, as well as the essence of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes by Solomon: “Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas” (Vanity of the vanities, everything is vanity). The vanitas motif of the skull has been traditionally used for millennia in literature, visual art, theatre and music to symbolise the beauty, decay and transience of everything earthly.

Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn explore and exaggerate the mystical, almost sacred tradition of medieval art. It was one of the factors that shaped their art, but not the only one. They also met many inspiring personalities along the way.

One of their first great inspiration was Mary Bauermeister, who like “The Divines” is associated with Cologne. Thanks to her, they were introduced to the world of the avant-garde and especially to avant-garde thinking about art. Bauermeister formed the avant-garde of the 1960s, as well as in the artistic circle of Pop Art, New Realism and Fluxus.

She was also closely associated with Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Niki de Saint Phall and Jean Tinguely. Her unsurpassable role model, however, was Marcel Duchamp throughout her life.

For “The Divines”, the encounter with Bauermeister was a decisive turning point. With her they traversed the artistic path of the Avantgarde and in the process they created their own Transavantgarde, by breaking what they regarded as the dusty dogmas of art.

Indeed, “transformation” is the key word for them. Transformare (Latin for transformation) means transformation, deformation, transmutation and is a synonym for change and movement. In their art, the processes of change were dynamic and their path always aimed at reaching the unattainable and touching the untouchable.

“The Divines” underwent their own transformations, so that the thematic diversity of their artworks knows no bounds. Their spectrum includes historical and occult, religious as well as completely surrealistic as well as fantastic or even futuristic visions of universal themes. Often the forms of representation are reminiscent of those of the ancient gods of the Romans, Egyptians and Mayans or those of Catholic saints.

Bauermeister implanted in “The Divines” the need to rethink aspects of their sense of art and awakened their interest in the art of Duchamp. It was precisely he who rejected the visual appeal reserved only for high art. In “Idea ready made” or “objet trouvé”, an art object or its part is created from everyday objects. The aim here is to transfer the meaning from the object to the subject.

One of their first great inspiration was Mary Bauermeister, who like “The Divines” is associated with Cologne. Thanks to her, they were introduced to the world of the avant-garde and especially to avant-garde thinking about art. Bauermeister formed the avant-garde of the 1960s, as well as in the artistic circle of Pop Art, New Realism and Fluxus.

She was also closely associated with Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Niki de Saint Phall and Jean Tinguely. Her unsurpassable role model, however, was Marcel Duchamp throughout her life.

For “The Divines”, the encounter with Bauermeister was a decisive turning point. With her they traversed the artistic path of the Avantgarde and in the process they created their own Transavantgarde, by breaking what they regarded as the dusty dogmas of art.

Indeed, “transformation” is the key word for them. Transformare (Latin for transformation) means transformation, deformation, transmutation and is a synonym for change and movement. In their art, the processes of change were dynamic and their path always aimed at reaching the unattainable and touching the untouchable.

“The Divines” underwent their own transformations, so that the thematic diversity of their artworks knows no bounds. Their spectrum includes historical and occult, religious as well as completely surrealistic as well as fantastic or even futuristic visions of universal themes. Often the forms of representation are reminiscent of those of the ancient gods of the Romans, Egyptians and Mayans or those of Catholic saints.

Bauermeister implanted in “The Divines” the need to rethink aspects of their sense of art and awakened their interest in the art of Duchamp. It was precisely he who rejected the visual appeal reserved only for high art. In “Idea ready made” or “objet trouvé”, an art object or its part is created from everyday objects. The aim here is to transfer the meaning from the object to the subject.

This process is perfectly understandable by “The Divines”. They want to give their works a mystical meaning from then on, by taking them out of their previous meanings to which everyone is accustomed. We see the application of this in their subsequent works, in which they elevate their paintings and objects, as well as pre-existing objects, to the status of the ideal (the divine). The surfaces of the artworks are now sometimes enhanced with gold, silver, platinum, glitter and many other materials to expand them and thus elevate them to the symbolic element for “heaven on earth”. “The Divines” thus not only approach traditional art in a mystical way, they also play with its old order.

In analysing their art, it is hard to avoid the analogy with Susan Sontag’s mid-1960s essay, “Notes on Camp”. Sontag defines camp as “a failed, disappointed earnestness”. She lets the air out of a balloon inflated with patos of serious art, which has as its mission: docere, movere, delectare (to teach – to persuade – to convince). One of her most important views on this, she rejects the categorisation of seeing something as “good” or “bad”. Camp is sometimes oversaturated, kitschy and exaggerated in its expression, but it is certainly a kind of sensibility in art. Therefore, the “camp art” of Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn is the acceptance and affirmation of any form that escapes their classical understanding.

The Transavangarde

The term “Transavangarde” also Italian “Transavanguardia” (beyond the avant-garde) was first mentioned in 1979 by the Roman art critic Achille Bonito Oliva and has mainly emerged from Italian Arte Povera.

The art of Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn fits the definition of the transavangarde, mainly by rejecting the imperative of novelty. Past themes, motifs and ways of making art are reclaimed with ironic detachment, making it difficult to distinguish what it is, a joke or a serious statement, beauty or kitsch. The transavantgarde also means the use of art in its traditional mind, namely the combination of different styles and techniques.

In times when art is supposed to have already said the last word and form as well as content seems to be completely exhausted, the artists want the viewer to take part in the infinite creative process of meanings. For “The Divines”, this actual creative process itself is extremely significant, as the resulting art is for them their way of communication between the artist and the viewer. It has the task of creating the missing transcendental element between what is divine and what is earthly.

Without a doubt, Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn are the answer to the emotional and aesthetic needs of today’s art consumer.

Their work effectively fills the gap between the often utopian assumptions of contemporary artists and the current prevailing aesthetic. They belong to the new generation that has to deal with a viewer who has already been confronted with a multitude of daily implied images.

Nevertheless, their way of working remains “transavangardistic”, filled with an unusual form that allows each of us to generate our own meanings. Thus, they contribute to the transavantgarde way of thinking about art and are characterised by an emotive expression as well as an intuitive form of representation. In doing so, they consciously use various art forms that are intended to serve emotional transmission.

The Divines say of themselves that their role is to “bring a piece of heaven to earth” and therefore they imbue each of their works with a divine soul of transcendental, supernatural mysticism.

They see their profession as a kind of mission. Each of their artworks is supposed to possess qualities to transform our reality into a supernatural state. Their lives are determined by the daily search for transavantgarde mysticism.

 

Düsseldorf, Germany, 2018

Mag. Gabriela Szafarska
art historian

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26 Mar
Publications

Attempt: Classification

ATTEMPT: CLASSIFICATION


How often does it happen that one sees artists assigned to a generic term commonly used in the art world that defines a style, a group of painters or a school. Some who cannot be classified are then given the stamp of stylistic pluralism, for which I would like to mention Friedensreich Hundertwasser as an example. You are therefore forced to describe works of art, to move in the linguistic field in order to find an attempt at paraphrasing. In order to convey the language of form and also the effect of art, of these artists who are full of creativity.

In Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn we encounter a spectrum that can represent creative work. Their by far not secret love is dealing with the abundance of light, whereby they let the paths of light, no matter whether natural or artificial, go beyond the canvas and also the frame by skillful scattering or bundling, thus letting their already large formats grasp even further space. If walls were not necessary as supports for the works of art, her objects and works on canvas would immediately descend into our world on the horizon and blur the boundaries between heaven and earth.

You just have to look at it, deal with it, because this art does something to us the viewer. Some speak of kitsch, others praise it as good art, and hundreds of other statements about it are imaginable. But they all agree on one thing: you haven’t seen anything like this very often, and already an unnamed style is emerging on the market.

If you look at the art made from the colour pigments of Yves Klein, which is radiantly fascinating, especially his blue, which shines incredibly through scattering. Or Jeff Koons’ works, the colourful objects shining with large-format reflective surfaces, then it is only a question of time that the monochrome works of the former will find their continuation in multichrome and glittering colours, as we have already seen in the times of Art Nouveau and in other cultures.

The artist duo Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn follow this path consistently, without being assignable to a particular art style, art school or artist group. They are credible trailblazers who do not ignore early works such as the progressive path and their vision of light and its reflective possibilities, as well as the need not to deny themselves commercial art with their craftsmanship. Full-blooded artists who do not allow aberrations.

 

M.D. Gengriel
Art Critic

June, 2019

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24 Mar
Publications, Publications

Report of a collector

REPORT OF A COLLECTOR

The Hague, June 2019

 

 

So much has already been published about Iven and Aaron. You would actually do well to visit these two artists in Cologne once in their studio to see their art and them for yourself in person. Yes, I know Max Frisch said that one should not make a picture of oneself, but if you are occupied with the work of artists, you should certainly take the time to visit them. As a result of constant global warming, the concept of contemporary art has been given a notable and timely addition through their works. For our longing for glistening sunlight, a trip to the south is no longer necessary. Our inherent openness to the joy of colour requires fewer and fewer such trips. Despite all the justified drama about global warming, the world of art is becoming more colourful. Architects are building colourful houses, as they do in the south, which also meet the desire for coolness and shadow on hot days. The scattering of light is a theme in rooms designed in this way; reflective surfaces or scattering glitter are used. The mix of materials in architecture and design also influences art; ideas are taken up that were previously only familiar from classic holiday destinations. Noble silver and friendly atmospheric colours convey a coolness in rooms and golden-yellow light provides a feeling of warmth on the fresher days. I am sure that some universities are already researching this and have corresponding study results.

From Dorian Gray we know that all art is both surface and symbol. Collectors like me are more and more willing to take the step towards colourful, stimulating art. Shiny, mirrored and reflective works have long been popular in art, the works of Iven and Aaron, defined by the opulence of glitter, are certainly the next step that the art world is already preparing for. They already exist, collections of this kind. The fixed term of *light and shadow* will soon become equivalent to *shadow and light*, because times are changing and we are changing in them, here in relation to the value of the quality of life of all people in a continuously warming environment.

Well, it would be easy to reignite the discussion about the value of art, but this is an endless topic that gallery owners, art dealers, collectors and people interested in art are already discussing. They want to invest their money well and, at the same time, they increasingly want to invest in their quality of life.

The terms under which collectors and art lovers find themselves are manifold. Respect and even “fear” are omnipresent when it comes to buying new art. Today, however, collectors are also aware of the opportunities they should take advantage of in the interest of the market by also being prepared to act in a taste-forming manner and to allow the cardinal statement: “I like it, I don’t like it!

I have seen collectors who suddenly aged, which I interpret as meaning that they lived with their collection as if in a vacuum. There are many reasons for this. I embrace life, love the arts, especially contemporary art, no matter whether it is created by visual or non-visual artists.

Among the artists who I appreciate is the duo of Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn and I wish they would soon move into a larger studio to create and realise more of their many ideas that have so far been lying dormant in their idea books.

 

An art collector
(name and address known to the gallery)

 

 

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20 Mar
Publications

The Immersive Art Environment by Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn

The Immersive Art Environment by Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn

In the middle of Cologne, the secret capital of art in Germany, there is a special place. Artists Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn live and work here. The studio rooms, the photo studio, as well as the storage rooms for the works of art waiting for the hanging, this creative duo, are freely accessible after registration and not only for their collectors a well-known address.

The guest, this jewel in the metropolis on the Rhine, quickly realizes: This place is unique. Different levels of reality involve everyone and make diverse experiences possible. While roaming the world, high-quality, glittering, light installations, flying birds and paintings presented like individual sheets of an artist’s book, he can play on the various objects himself and bring them to life. Artists’ hats invite you to put on, which also makes this place a place of peace, because steel helmets and other aggressive headgear are completely missing here, such as.B the invisibility cloak that Alberich had to leave to Siegfried.

Between the works of art, the biography of the artists is presented to the visitor, in individual stations. Here he encounters elements from their creative periods, supported by countless photographs and objects that act as contemporary witnesses of the past. Through a mysterious window, he can take a look inside the studio to discover the secret of the masters. He can see the “place of the future” where their fabled art is created.

The design of the rooms with works of art, objects, light and sounds is in a special relationship to each other. The aim is to overcome the viewer’s “usual view” of the individual works of art. Instead, attention should be focused on the artistic oeuvre of the artists. The viewer experiences an order that results in the life of the artists as a total work of art. A world that he celebrates together with its creators. It is therefore also a “process art” that shows the viewer the development of the artists, why and how the artists live and how the works of art are created.

This installation, which has been under construction since 2008, is understood as a “work in progress”.

Art critic M.D. Gengriel

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18 Mar
Publications

Interview: “Do what you want: the freedom of art beyond all pigeonholes”

Interview: “Do what you want: the freedom of art beyond all pigeonholes”

“Do what you want.” That is the message from Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn, a hip artist duo with their own artist-run space in Cologne. Their art is simply different, each of their artworks is unique, doesn’t fit into any pigeonhole. And that’s a good thing, in the opinion of the two lateral entrants. Their art, which simply does not fit any label, has meanwhile inspired customers from all over the world. “If you submit to a style, then you limit yourself.” In the interview, they talk about their unusual entry into the world of art and what their way of working and creating has to do with freedom.

business-on.de: How did you two meet?

Iven Orx: We met in a bar here in Cologne. At that time, neither of us knew that we were artists. We got to talking, liked each other and that’s how the contact came about. That was about 15 years ago now.

 

business-on.de: How did you then get into art?

Iven Orx: At some point we decided to move into a flat share together in Cologne. One evening we were sitting together and we noticed that both our fathers used to paint. They were not professional artists, but simply creative people who used to do that. We talked about that and wondered what it would be like if we painted too. That was the beginning of it all. We were about 20 years old.

That same evening, we bought painting utensils, small canvases and paints and got started. To our own amazement, people were enthusiastic about what we painted. Then we put our first paintings on eBay in America and after a few days they were all sold. So we told ourselves that there must be some magic and we should keep doing this. Besides, we enjoyed it so much that within no time we had turned our flat into a studio. There were colours everywhere and canvases in every corner. It just became more and more frequent. A few months later we had to sell our furniture to make room. When we couldn’t go on any longer, we started looking for a studio. At Neumarkt in Cologne, in a former marzipan factory, we found exactly what we were looking for. We liked it so much that we said: Ok, we’ll give it a try. We’ll jump in at the deep end and set up here, with an artist-run space. That was 12 years ago now.

 

business-on.de: Did you do vocational training or study beforehand?

Iven Orx: Yes, we both learned commercial trades at first, but that wasn’t the right thing for us. We were always looking for fulfilment. It so happened that we both had jobs first.

 

business-on.de: You started to paint. In the meantime you have also created birds and other imaginative works. How did you come to realise such projects as well?

Iven Orx: Yes, that came with time. We started with the normal works of art, then we travelled the world and visited many museums. In the process, we often found the art a bit sad and boring. We saw a lot of black artworks, dark paintings and that’s when we realised that that’s exactly what we don’t want. We want our art to be cheerful, to give people a lot of enjoyment. So we developed little by little and at some point we also tried to work with other materials. With gold, glitter and bright colours. In the process, we realised that we didn’t like the existing colours. That’s why we started to make our own colours. So that they are brighter, have more strength and power. And so our works have become more and more colourful and cheerful.

 

business-on.de: What was your very first work?

Iven Orx: These are two smaller watercolours and they hang in our artist-run space. Above is Wotan and below is the Valkyrie, which is also the name of the work. They are not for sale. We would like to keep them, they bring us luck. It’s like Scrooge McDuck with his first penny.

 

business-on.de: What fascinates you about art?

Aaron Vinn: The freedom. We can do what we want, we can take what we want, we can put together what we want. Actually, it’s just that something gets spirit, and that’s the challenge at the same time.

Iven Orx: And that we can realise ourselves. We have discovered, and we have also been told by others, that we are gifted with our creativity. We would like to pass this gift on to humanity. We want to bring people a piece of heaven to earth with our art. And everyone can delight with this piece. That is what fascinates us when customers or interested parties come to us: how they then enthuse and we look into their sparkling eyes. No matter whether they are children or adults. That is our praise and that gives us the strength to continue and to create more and more new works of art.

 

business-on.de: Where do your customers come from?

Iven Orx: Nowadays they come from all over the world. From Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and also from Sweden. We always talk to them in Swedish-German. But most of them actually come from the region by word of mouth, because we have become something of an insider tip among the artists.

 

business-on.de: Where do your ideas come from?

Iven Orx: Well, we have probably a hundred different ideas every day. Meanwhile, we write some of them down. Yes, the ideas are just there all at once. So we don’t have a problem with creative ideas. We have a problem with time. That’s why we work a lot at night, because it’s much quieter.

Aaron Vinn: But it’s also often the case that some artworks are born as an idea and we say to ourselves that we want to depict, for example, the Queen in a different way. Then something develops out of it over time. Some things start very small and then suddenly become very big. Like our Marilyn Monroe. At the very beginning she was still without a hat, just painted. Then she got real hair and more and more things were added. So it is a work in progress.

Iven Orx: And Marilyn Monroe is still not finished. I’m sure she’ll get some light too.

 

business-on.de: How would you describe your own style?

Iven Orx: Hm. (thinks about it) Actually, we don’t have a style. We don’t want to have a style either. We think that if you submit to a style, then you limit yourself. If you only paint abstract, expressionist paintings, then in the eyes of the world you are in a kind of a pigeonhole. And we don’t want that. We just want to work in a free-spirited way and do what we feel like doing. So if we want to do a bird, we just do it. Or we paint a tree or a rocket or a skull with wings or hair or whatever. Probably the art historians will be racking their brains after us about where we actually belong.

Aaron Vinn: If you always have the same style, you always copy yourself. And that’s why we didn’t want to be classified from the beginning.

 

business-on.de: Is that the message you want to convey with your art? Be free and don’t let yourself be pigeonholed?

Iven Orx: Exactly! The message is simple: Do what you want!

 

business-on.de: You said earlier that you want to bring heaven to earth. What do you believe in?

Iven Orx: Well, we believe in many gods, although we are not religious. For us, our art is our religion. But we believe in gods who are with us. We also try to represent some of the gods who guard and visit us here with some of our artworks. But basically our art is not religion-related.

 

business-on.de: You are very successful. What does that mean to you?

Iven Orx: For us it means freedom again. The financial success allows us to keep doing new projects. The intangible success for us is the satisfaction in the eyes of other people who see our art and interact with it. Not everyone has to love our art, but just the fact that people engage with our art and say that this is something they have never seen before gives us the drive to do what we do.

 

business-on.de: Both your fathers also painted. Did that make it easier for you to tell your parents that you are artists now, or did they think you should do something more financially secure?

Aaron Vinn: With our fathers it wasn’t a job, it was just a hobby. But it gave us the incentive to try it. Also because there was a certain creativity in us before. But as a young person, you try to do justice to everyone, and you’ve been taught that you should learn something useful. But it’s no use if it doesn’t make you cheerful.

Iven Orx: Our parents were not enthusiastic at first, but we prevailed. We just did it. And when they saw that we had already sold our first artworks to America for about 300 dollars, they said that what we were doing couldn’t be that bad. This general belief that art is breadless is not quite so true. I think if you do something with all your heart, no matter what it is, whether it’s art or cooking, you always succeed. If you do what you love. That is also our message: Do what you love.

 

business-on.de: What has been your greatest success so far?

Iven Orx: Our own artist-run space is our greatest success. That we can do what we want to do, without any restrictions.

Aaron Vinn: But there was also a bit of luck involved, because we actually wanted something nicer and bigger and looked at about 20-30 studios. And this one was the very last one we looked at. We came and thought beforehand: Oh, that’s not going to work anyway. It was offered as a warehouse. But destiny wanted it that way. It is also wonderfully big, you almost get lost here. And that’s exactly what we desired. We listened to our heart, not our mind, and that’s why we’re here now and everything has turned out fine. Back then, things looked completely different here because everything was designed for marzipan production.

 

business-on.de: Do you have idols? And if so, who are they?

Iven Orx: Well, we don’t have any direct role models, because what we do is something different and something fresh. Of course we know personalities in the art world whom we admire, such as Marcel Duchamp or Mary Bauermeister, with whom we studied art avant-garde for a few years. She is a good friend and mentor.

Aaron Vinn: But someone who we say we want to be like…, we don’t have someone that way.

 

business-on.de: During our tour through your artist-run space, I saw a wall with the title “The Time of Rebellion”. What were you rebelling against?

Iven Orx: Against dark art. That was the time when we visited all the museums and made up our minds about art. That’s when we realised that almost everything is black and white and decided that our art should be different. Different from everything that was known before. Since then we started making colourful art, joyful art. After that came the ‘Time of the gods’, the time of resurgence.

 

business-on.de: You also work with wooden undergrounds like in the Middle Ages. How did you come up with that?

Iven Orx: The objects give us the freedom to determine the form ourselves. In other words, to realise what we have in mind. You are not forced to always paint a rectangle. You can choose any shape. We buy the wood in large sheets and cut them out the way we want them. With Andy Warhol, for example, you can cut out three-dimensional hair. And also the face as seen here is difficult to get on a canvas. You could paint it, yes. But we wanted other dimensions and more depth.

 

business-on.de: Did you read about it or how did you discover it?

Iven Orx: No, we just did it one day.

Aaron Vinn: It always comes out with a: “Let’s just try it out.” There are so many rules and constraints that are imposed on us or that we’re told, “You can’t do that.” Or, “You shouldn’t do that.” But we like to have the experience ourselves.

 

business-on.de: Do you remember the first work of yours that you sold?

Iven Orx: It was an abstract painting and it was sold on eBay in America. At that time we didn’t have a studio but painted in our flat. We didn’t stretch our paintings on frames at that time like we do now. We sold them rolled up in a plastic tube and shipped them that way.

 

business-on.de: Do you get each other’s opinions and ask each other what the other thinks?

Iven Orx: Oh yes, yes, we reflect each other. I think that’s also very important, that we can support each other. That one can give the other his honest opinion.

Aaron Vinn: Yes, it’s an eternal exchange. Some ideas are not so well received by the other. Then there’s a bit of discussion, but basically we’re always on the same level. Only if the idea is good, it usually involves effort. First we have to discuss whether we really want it.

 

business-on.de: Does everyone create their own work or do you work together on each piece?

Iven Orx: We do everything together. Everything you see here, whether it’s the painting or the installation, we do it together.

 

business-on.de: Does it ever happen that the other person rejects something and doesn’t feel like coming up with an idea?

Iven Orx: No, we share the work.

Aaron Vinn: There are processes that we both work on at the same time. Usually it’s like this: we have an idea, one of us draws it, the other thinks it’s terrible, then at some point it’s finished and everyone thinks it’s great. It was the same with our artwork of the cloud. At the beginning, it wasn’t supposed to be so big, not so oversized and not with such big rays. It was supposed to be a bit minimalistic. But when it was finished, we liked it.

Iven Orx: Yes, but it took over a year to finish it.

 

business-on.de: How long does it take for a work of art to be finished? From the first idea to publication?

Iven Orx: For paintings it takes about two to two and a half months. Until everything has dried, etc. We also build the canvases ourselves, they are not bought. We use special wood from Italy, which we order there and which corresponds to our ideas. And the fabrics will be mounted as well. None of these are standard products that you buy from us. Everything is cut to size in our studio, the fabrics are mounted and then the canvas is painted. The whole process can take up to three months. With the other works of art, it sometimes takes longer, like with the Queen. We worked on that for over a year until it was finished. Or the cloud we were just talking about … These are more time-consuming pieces of work that take a long time. After all, they are all with Swarovski crystals, they are all gold leaf, and you have to do all that by hand.

 

business-on.de: Are there phases when you are uncreative or when nothing works for three days?

Iven Orx: Well, not for three days, but sometimes we don’t have time and we have enough other things to do. Then we don’t do art, but maybe office stuff. Or we just go to a museum or an exhibition. We also like to do that very much. We always have something to do. We are not bored and we don’t have time to rest.

 

business-on.de: That brings us to the next topic: What do you do in your free time?

(Both laugh) Iven Orx: Yes, when we’re not making art, we visit museums and exhibitions. Or art fairs. Cologne is famous for the Art Cologne. And then there’s also the Cologne Fina Art in autumn. That’s when we go to the art fairs and see the whole world of art, because we don’t have time to travel so far, like to America or Japan for example. Then art comes to Cologne and we look at what’s new in the art world here on the spot.

 

business-on.de: So you are always surrounded by art and you don’t, for example, have a cooking evening to switch off?

Iven Orx: Oh yes, we cook ourselves, yes. That’s what we do. We have a big kitchen here where we cook ourselves. But those are just breaks in between. Then one of us, Aaron or I, cooks and then we take a break for half an hour or an hour. There’s delicious food, we talk and exchange ideas. But everything happens here in our studio. So no time for holidays or hobbies or other pleasures. (Both laugh)

 

business-on.de: Do you have a vision? And if so, what is it?

Iven Orx: Yes, our vision is to make the world a little more colourful and cheerful. That people have their own piece of heaven on earth through our art.

 

business-on.de: Do you have a favourite work of art? Either by you or by another artist?

Iven asks Aaron: Do you have one?

Aaron Vinn: Hm, that’s a good question. It’s like with your own children. You love them all.

Iven Orx: So I think the Queen is our favourite artwork. Because it’s one of the first installations we did. And of course we associate a lot of memories with it. There was an investor recently who was interested in this Queen and wanted to have it for his collection. But we are still struggling with whether we really want that. Because if our Queen is no longer there, what do we do then? There is only one Queen. (Both laugh)

 

business-on.de: What is it like for you to give away one of your works of art?

Aaron Vinn: Yes, it always hurts a bit, but it … always depends. We then have room for something new again. It’s really a lot that we have here.

Iven Orx: But for example, works that we’ve been working on for a whole year hurt a bit more.

 

business-on.de: Do you stay in touch with the buyers even after a sale?

Iven Orx: Yes. People usually accompany us for many years and we always get emails and phone calls. Many of them already have a lot of paintings from us, and also other works of art. They collect our art. And yes, we have our fan base that always keeps up with us and supports us. Who also say, “Man, this is so great what you’re doing here.” And, “Keep up the good work.” And that gives us a lot of strength.

Download: Interview Do what you want: The freedom of art beyond all pigeonholes
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16 Mar
Publications

Self portrait “Confidence”

Self portrait “Confidence”

GODS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE IMMORTAL

GODS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE IMMORTAL

Certainly, between Olympus and the zenith, there may be some changes within the hierarchies from time to time, but it is still reserved for royalty and artists to refer to a divine mandate.

In the enlightened twenty-first century, mankind can read, uses all available media, is always online and present, whether acoustically, in 2D or 3D and all forms of representation that may still come.

We are the artist duo Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn, professionally and privately a team at the side of art and its possibilities. We are convinced that the world is still screaming for paintings. The world wants to see the opulence and joy of colour, also in order to be able to optimally handle the colours of the documentaries about the grey in grey, to rise individually and to be able to take on the presence for a time on this earth in a strengthened and more relaxed way with responsibility.

The sky proves it, there is no colour that does not exist.

With our art we pick up this opportunity and give it a form and our name. The sky is our muse, our inspiration and at the same time the main instance to constantly interrogate our disciplined work and to inspire us at all times.

The present is avant-garde-expressive and we endeavour to live up to our self-demand for creative ideas and forms of expression with the help of humility in keeping with the times and to contribute to changing the actual state of order in the world, addressing everyone in the process, regardless of whether they think in a more absolutist way or feel committed to enlightenment and humanism.

Download: Self portrait "Confidence"
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14 Mar
Publications

Book “Advice to the inner voice: sensitising of the Intuitive Intelligence”

Book “Advice to the inner voice: sensitising of the Intuitive Intelligence”

The book “Council of the Inner Voice: Sensitization of Intuitive Intelligence” by Maria Therese Löw is an extremely captivating read that contributes to a better understanding of the art of Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn. The author conducts a detailed analysis focusing on the role and mechanism of the intuitive, transrational technique of transformation, examining the significance of this approach beyond rational considerations.

In addition to well-known and renowned artists from the past like Dali, Chagall, and Chirico, the book also highlights Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn as exemplary representatives for the utilization and impact of the Transcendent as an artistic subject.

Through this profound analysis, the book provides the reader with a well-founded insight into the world of transcendent aesthetics and its effects on the recipient. It offers an enriching perspective to view the works of Iven Orx and Aaron Vinn in a new light and to grasp their artistic creations on a deeper level.

Book available at Amazon
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12 Mar
Publications

Trade publication: “Invest in what you love”

TRADE PUBLICATION: “INVEST IN WHAT YOU LOVE”

The art market also thrives on emotional values

Anyone who invests in art is moving on a difficult terrain. In contrast to shares or gold, the value, or rather the price, of a work of art cannot be read off from stock market prices. And a buyer has to be found first. Someone who sees exactly this one work of art for sale as a valuable investment or someone whose collection the work fits into it.

There are only a few asset classes in which pricing and sale are as complex as with art. Although there is a real market determined by supply and demand, however, the individual work of art goes far beyond its purely material value. And so the investment risk is high if one looks exclusively at financial parameters. And yet it can be profitable to invest in art.

The motto has to be: buy what you like. If you own paintings that also have an emotional value, that underline your own individuality and that you like to surround yourself with, you will have fewer problems if the desired revenue cannot be achieved immediately. You have to love art – even if you see it primarily as a capital investment.

Now, of course, there is no mind to buy everything just because you like it. There are a few additional strategic and commercial hard facts – also and especially with art. A single painting will hardly work as an investment. If you see art as an investment, you have to become an art collector who buys something new here and there, but also part with individual works when the time is right. Buying, selling, collecting, expanding … one has to take care. And not only in the commercial mind, but also organisationally. If you own several paintings, sculptures or works, you have to store them appropriately, insure them to an appropriate level and take care of their substance. Art is something for lovers, also and especially when money is involved. You have to know something about art, have good advisors and commit yourself to a certain direction. A collection should be reasonably consistent, so that as an investor you can react to trends and become an expert in your genre. This is another reason why it makes sense to invest in art to which you have an emotional attachment.

This also includes becoming somewhat familiar with the laws of the art market, which means knowing not only the artworks but also the artists from whom you buy them. Because in the end, it is the artists and their marketing that make art valuable. If the artist is en vogue, present in the media, represented in museums and hyped by renowned gallery owners, his works are also valuable. If an artist works more as a hobbyist and does not produce new things on a regular basis, the probability that a work of art will increase in value is very low.

Basically, a successful artist is always also a successful entrepreneur. Only those who regularly produce new works have any market value at all and can take place in the art market. Does the artist have a gallery owner? If so, prices rise automatically, because the gallery owner usually takes up to 50 percent extra for his services. In turn, he can only do this if he receives regular supplies from the artist, so that he can also make a regular business, and if he is of the opinion that he can also enforce the corresponding prices. Alternatively, there are producer galleries, i.e. those in which the artists offer and sell their own artworks. All this produces costs – for rooms, staff and materials, which an artist must first recoup. In this respect, artists can be valued in parts like a company. There are costs, turnover and profits, stocks and the value of the artworks. As an art investor, you have to get involved with the artists, with their productivity, with their style, with their sales channels.

This is especially true for artists who (still) offer their works for prices between 2000 and 5000 euros. In this case, investment art buyers would probably speak of early-stage promotion. If you believe in the artists, their potential and their future, and if you like the works, the possible returns are almost infinite – if you have a little patience and can live with the fact that the paintings may end up decorating only your own four walls. From an investor’s point of view, it’s venture capital. Here you should make sure that you like what you have. Ideally, as an investor you even work together with the artists and support their market development.

In the league above, individual works of art cost around 50,000 euros. So here you need a thicker wallet as an investor, but you can also be sure that the value will be maintained to some extent if the art market does not completely collapse. However, there is no guarantee of an increase in value here either. However, the probable jump in value from 50,000 euros to 100,000 euros or even 200,000 euros is greater than that from a beginner to the league of the 50,000.

At the top of the hierarchy are the so-called blue chips. Similar to shares, the term describes safe havens. Blue chips are the top 10 international artists such as Andy Warhol or Gerhard Richter. Their works fetch millions at auction, but are also hard to come by – not to mention the costs of purchasing and insuring them.

Basically, the value of paintings is measured according to a formula: Width plus height in centimetres/inches multiplied by the artist’s factor. The artist factor is derived from the market value of the artist. The artist factor is a point scale. A beginner’s score is 1 to 10. The higher the artist factor, the more valuable the work of art. This shows again that it is not actually the artwork that determines the value, but the artist. If the artist is marketed well, for example by a gallery owner, his works increase in value. To sum up, the art market is very volatile. There are ups and downs, fashions and trends and no definable value for art objects. If you invest in art, you have to know your stuff and you need good advisors, a team consisting of experts, appraisers and collectors. You have to keep your eyes and ears open and deal with the artists themselves, because the artist makes the value of the painting. You have to be a collector yourself, be interested in art and keep close contact with artists, gallery owners and connoisseurs. And you need patience until an artist develops.

If you take these issues to heart, you can not only earn money with art, but also have a lot of fun. Art as an investment is a risk, incurs costs for storage and insurance, and is time-consuming. That’s why you have to love art. If you only buy art for the sake of monetary gain, and otherwise detest looking at paintings and negotiating with gallery owners and artists, you should keep your hands off art as an investment. You have to invest in what you love. Art is an asset class for lovers, for people with leisure and a penchant for enjoyment. Quick money does not beckon here.

Before you get involved, it is worth visiting galleries and museums, art associations or workshops. First of all, you have to find out what you want and set yourself goals. What are you willing to invest? What are you prepared to lose? Who are possible sellers and buyers? What still has potential for development? Can the money be tied up? If you suddenly have to sell a painting quickly, you are certainly not making a good bargain, especially since the relevant art auctions also follow rules and require a longer lead time, which you should be aware of.

Download: ”INVEST IN WHAT YOU LOVE“
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10 Mar
Publications

Interview: “How much entrepreneurial spirit can or should be found in an artist?

INTERVIEW: “HOW MUCH ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT CAN OR SHOULD BE FOUND IN AN ARTIST?

As artists, you inspire people all over the world. In Cologne, you are no longer a secret tip in the art scene. You work with unusual materials, produce your own colours, or in short: nothing here is off the peg! But with your own gallery, you are also entrepreneurs. How much of an entrepreneur can, or should, an artist be? And how is the price for such a work of art calculated? Iven Orx & Aaron Vinn give the answers in a personal interview and also report about the multi-million dollar machinery of the worldwide art scene, which is now often more about money than about the art itself.

business-on.de: Who is your target group?

Iven Orx: Our target group is people who want to experience art in a different way. That can be anyone. They are doctors, entrepreneurs, teachers, they are just normal people. We also have two customers who are priests. So it’s all over the place. I think it’s not about where you come from, but how you want to feel and feel about art. So there are also art collectors and investors who buy art and expect it to increase in value.


business-on.de: As a company, it is important to have a unique selling point to distinguish yourself from competitors. What distinguishes you from other artists?

Iven Orx: We use very different materials that are not so well known. Like gold leaf, for example. That was used in the Middle Ages for icons and icon painting, but less for art. Glitter is also a material that is used more for Christmas articles than for works of art. Then there are the abstract paintings we do. We paint these with colours that we mix and make ourselves. Our colours have more depth and better pigmentation. The quality and our ideas make us different. And we ourselves are also special. Our life simply … If you want to own a piece of us and you buy it, you also buy our story, a piece of the artist himself. From experience we can say that our customers are very interested in us and our art. How we came to be, etc. They watch very closely how we develop.

business-on.de: Speaking of watching: How is it with the competitors? Germany in particular is a country of certificates and proof of quality. How did your competitors deal with the fact that you didn’t study art, but simply went into the market on gut instinct?

Iven Orx: Yes, that’s just the way it is. There are two ways. There have always been, even in the Middle Ages. There is the academic path, where you can go to an art academy and learn to be an artist. But we have found that we don’t want to become artists, but that we already are. And that was the case from the beginning. That’s why we chose the somewhat more difficult path of making art out of ourselves and not first coming to art through professors and formulas. But that is also the special thing about not submitting to a style. And that we cannot be categorised or “pigeonholed”. We are not associated with a certain pigeonhole or a certain person, but with something that is not stereotypical. We had a mentor in whose mind we did many exhibitions. That’s Mary Bauermeister, that’s the avant-garde of the sixties. She taught us a lot about art. She is very much represented in the biggest and most important museums in the world. And she always said to us: “Boys, stay the way you are! Don’t be constricted by a school or an academy.” She herself did the same. She started studying, but dropped out after a few months because she realised that she could get much further with her artistic talent alone. And so we are following in the footsteps of the old masters who gave free rein to their creative spirit.

business-on.de: The paradise for artists is actually New York. The greatest galleries and museums are there. You are in Cologne. How does it feel to be an artist in Cologne?

Iven Orx: Super! (laughs) Paradise is where a person’s heart is, I think. And our heart beats for Cologne and for what we do. With our gallery, which we have been running for twelve years, we have created this freedom to be independent of the big global players, like the big galleries in New York, and to be able to realise ourselves. We don’t have to follow anyone, we don’t have to submit to trends and we don’t have to be inspired by other artists. Because our inspiration is ourselves through our hearts. So we are very happy that we don’t have to give in to this general thinking that you have to be where the great art happens and where others decide what art is or how good it is. We decide for ourselves what art is, and I think we’re doing quite well so far.

business-on.de: As an artist, you are also an entrepreneur. This means that you are also responsible for accounting, finances, etc. How do you manage the balancing act between your creativity as an artist and the entrepreneurial requirements with numbers, data, facts?

Iven Orx: First of all, we have a very good tax consultant who does almost everything for us. And we also know a very good gallery owner who always gives us tips on how to be competitive on the art market. So there are very good people in our environment who mean well with us and who help us to successfully tread the entrepreneurial path. Everything else is “learning by doing”. The first years were very difficult for us because we jumped into bigger waters with the gallery. In the very beginning, there were months when we lived from a sack of rice from the Indian shop around the corner so that we had the money to pay the rent. It’s not like we had tens of customers from the beginning and that everyone knew about us. But over time we learnt to run the business well and profitably. To do good advertising. Because we continue to develop, visit trade fairs and make new contacts with people from the art scene, we have become an institution in Cologne.

business-on.de: Is networking an important pillar for successful business?

Iven Orx: Yes, I think the most important thing for an entrepreneur is to have a network.

business-on.de: What investments are necessary to be successful as an artist?

Iven Orx: Well, I think the most important investment is time. You learn to paint by painting – so they say. And if you want to become a successful artist, you have to do something, and you have to do it with total commitment. For example, we don’t take any holidays, we don’t go anywhere, we are artists and entrepreneurs day and night. And if you want to do something well, you have to do it all the way. There is no working time. It’s not like we start being entrepreneurs at 9 o’clock and show up at the office. We are constantly and permanently thinking about all factors. There is no separation.

Aaron Vinn: But you also have to say that you do have to switch. Because when you’re creative, you think differently than when you think business-like. You can notice that. It’s not that one person’s left brain goes on and the right brain goes off. But you do realise that you have to act differently.

Iven Orx: As an artist, you would love to give art to the world. But as an entrepreneur, you always have to remember that you have your fixed costs per month. The gallery has to be paid, the electricity bill, the Google advertising … And that all adds up to many thousands of euros. Then there are employees who help us build frames. Then we have the delivery of the paintings. For that we have a van to deliver our paintings around here. It’s all the entrepreneur in us who always says, “At the end of the month, you have to live off what you make and pay the bills.” You can never forget that. And that is indeed a balancing act.

business-on.de: How is the price for a work of art calculated?

Iven Orx: We calculate according to a very well-known formula. We calculate width + height, multiplied by the so-called artist factor. The artist factor results from the fact that the beginners . . . So there is a scale of points from 1 to “open end” and beginners achieve a scale of points from 1-10. That gives the artist factor. Because we are a so-called producer gallery, i.e. you buy art from us without an intermediary, without a gallery owner, who usually charges another 50 % surcharge, you get art from us at a somewhat lower price. That’s how we calculate the price – and compared to the overall market for art, it’s still affordable. And we want it to stay that way. That’s why we don’t have an external gallery owner, but run the gallery ourselves.

business-on.de: How does the German art market differ from that of other countries?

Iven Orx: I think the internet has liberalised the art market a lot. The mechanisms are now the same everywhere in the Western world. In New York, things are perhaps a bit flashier and more elaborate than here in Cologne. We still have affordable art. Then there are the art speculators. These are the “blue chips” with the ten most expensive artists in the world. But there is real speculation and prices are set according to whim and fancy. That no longer has anything to do with a gallery that covers its costs, but much more with speculation.

business-on.de: Who sets the trends in the art scene? Are there so-called trendsetters, like in the fashion industry?

Iven Orx: Yes, but they are made by these speculators. There are works like the one by Jeff Koons, which are auctioned off for 91 million dollars.

business-on.de: Let’s stay with the figure by Jeff Koons that was recently auctioned off for 91 million dollars. How do such prices come about?

Aaron Vinn: There is a huge machinery behind it, investing time and energy to push an artist like that and increase the market price. That is simply the basic task of speculators and gallery owners. After all, art is something that no one needs. Art is something that gives pleasure and is an investment at the same time. With the great artists known all over the world, such as Warhol, Koons or Lichtenstein, this machinery makes the price go higher and higher. That is, as I said, the basic task of this system.

Iven Orx: But it’s all about money and not about the art itself or what it represents – that it gives pleasure. People buy it because it’s expensive.

Aaron Vinn: Even the rabbit I just mentioned (Jeff Koons “Rabbit”) has been seen a million times, because it keeps copying itself.

business-on.de: As you just said, art has become an investment object. Does that change the character of art?

Iven Orx: I think our world is shaped in such a way that you can no longer exclude the money factor. Whether it is about health or food, clothes or a car – money plays a role in all these things, and it is the same with art. The difference is only the question of whether I acquire a work of art as a speculative object in order to earn money with it, or as a work of art that gives me real pleasure and that has a certain value. The value in this case, however, is not calculated according to speculation because someone demands it, but according to how good the artist is, how committed. This is then called the productivity of the artist. How productive is the artist? Does he stick to it or does he just do it on the side as a hobby? Does he do it at home or does he have a professional studio? Does he have a gallery that represents him or does he have his own gallery like we do? These are all factors that are important if you don’t just calculate the ideal value.

Our paintings and works of art cost already a bit of money in the meantime, almost a few thousand euros. And you don’t want to throw that away, all that money. When I think about it – at the very beginning we sold paintings for 200 dollars, now they cost 2,000-3,000€. That’s already a good increase in value within 10-12 years.

business-on.de: How does that make you feel as an artist? Are you proud of such an increase in value or are you more worried that the ideal value will be lost and that your art will become too commercial?

Aaron Vinn: I don’t see it as commercial. I think we are doing it right.

Iven Orx: Yes, and you’re also happy for the people who see that the two of us are still around, after more than 10 years, and that we’ve evolved. They see that we now have a gallery, that the artworks are more expensive. And yes, we did everything right. Now that was the entrepreneur in me just speaking.

business-on.de: And what does the artist in you say?

Iven Orx: The artist would say, “I don’t care.” And yes, I really don’t care about the value.

Aaron Vinn: We as artists have such a connection to our works, it comes from the heart, you can’t represent that in money at all.

Iven Orx: We got a WhatsApp message from a gallery owner from Italy recently. He bought paintings in the time period from our beginnings and now he has sent us two photos of these paintings. They are hanging in his house. He didn’t sell them, but framed them beautifully and kept them for himself. We were really proud of that. He is our fan for many years now. It fills us with pride that even someone who lives from the art trade keeps our works of art because he likes them.

business-on.de: Goods usually have a functional purpose. Art doesn’t have that. Why do you think people still spend a lot of money on art?

Aaron Vinn: The motivation is probably different. Some may want to represent individuality or reflect their own character in their home or office.

Iven Orx: At high quality art, it’s all about quality. High-quality art that is professionally made has to cost some money. Costs that are incurred in the production and in everything you do … So that you can already recognise the quality factor through the price. The speculative is excluded. When I look at our materials, for example, it always costs an immeasurable amount of money what we order in gold leaf, paints, wood and fabrics. It’s all high quality. Because we want the works of art to retain their shape for decades or perhaps even centuries and the colours to remain colourfast. That we leave something behind for posterity. Yes, and that is reflected in the price, because you can’t produce this quality for 100 €.

Aaron Vinn: That’s not even enough for a canvas.

business-on.de: Are there circumstances that change the price?

Iven Orx: Yes, there are. For example, we have a producer’s gallery. This means that our prices do not include the gallery price surcharge. And that can be up to 50 %. If we were deciding now to take a gallery owner, because we would rather put the time into producing the artworks, then the price would change for us. The prices would increase because the gallery owner would have to charge up to 50 % more for his work, since he also has costs and commitments. He is represented at art fairs, etc.

business-on.de: Does a gallery owner also take care of marketing and promotion?

Iven Orx: Yes, he also does the marketing.

Aaron Vinn: You can roughly distinguish between an art dealer who offers various works of art and the gallery owner who is passionately committed to his artists.

business-on.de: What do you recommend to people who want to invest their money in art? What should they collect, what should they consider?

Iven Orx: If you don’t choose the “blue chips” (the 10 most expensive artists in the world), and instead stay within the affordable range that we operate in, we recommend that people really buy art that they love. Because you live with the art. The artwork becomes a part of your life. You come home, sit down in your living room and see a beautiful painting or wall object. You have to feel comfortable with it. And you should make sure that the artwork comes from a professional artist who really works full-time and who really lives for what he does and has learned his business. With this purchase, the painting does not lose value, but rather increases in value over time. And that’s a good thing, if you invest materially in value. But primarily you should really like a work of art. You should buy what touches your heart.

business-on.de: What entrepreneurial risks do you have as an artist?

Aaron Vinn: The only risk would be if one of us were not able to work, because of illness or something.

Iven Orx: We share the areas. Everyone has their own tasks and if one of us falls ill, that would be a problem. Because we also run the gallery and have obligations in relation to the company, such as responsibility for the employees, etc.

Aaron Vinn: But as an entrepreneur you don’t get sick. We just don’t do that.

business-on.de: How do you promote yourselves today?

Iven Orx: The main vein of marketing for us is word of mouth. We have this gallery here for twelve years now and people are talking about it. They say Cologne is like a village. One person tells another that he has bought a great work of art or that he knows great artists who have a gallery. There’s a lot of talk about that. And of course Google ads. We’re also very easy to find on Google.

Aaron Vinn: Maybe another special thing about us. In contrast to many galleries, where you go in and often don’t know where you are, we are transparent. With us, you can also buy everything online. For us, “transparent” also means that we don’t determine the prices on a presumptive basis, but in a serious way. In other words, we have price transparency. And we have this mixed form: online business with a gallery.

That makes us very contemporary. Many buyers are abroad, for example. We have already sold to Italy and to Monaco, South/North America, Scandinavian countries, everywhere. The people, the entrepreneurs, do not have time to run from one gallery to the next either. Six months ago, we had a prospective buyer who said he had been to ten galleries, here in Cologne, on two afternoons. He had taken extra time off for that.

Iven Orx: Yes, and then there are five artworks hanging there. We have about 400 works of art in our gallery. You can find something suitable here. And we take our time – that’s our speciality, that we only offer a proper consultation by appointment. Sometimes we have open days where anyone can come, but these are more informal. If someone is interested in art, we take time for them. So we work primarily by appointment, we take two to three hours to really find out what people are passionate about. They can then find out everything about us, about our art, about the quality. You can choose something that suits you. We also go to the client’s home with a selection of artworks, for example if someone wants to buy several to fill a house with art. We look at how the premises look, what fits best where, and we create a concept with art that really suits the prospective buyer. And that makes us a bit more special. That’s why word of mouth works so well, because people tell each other things like that. It’s something special. When you go to another gallery, it’s often the case that there are three or four works of art hanging there, five at the most. And then they look at you so crossly that you don’t even dare – and we both experienced this ourselves here in Cologne – to ask what this means or how much that work of art costs. It’s different with us. We have a lot of laughter and you can ask us anything and find out everything about us.

business-on.de: How important are art fairs?

Iven Orx: Yes, art fairs, that’s one thing. Art fairs are very important for the image of a gallery. It is important to be represented there. As far as turnover is concerned, it’s not important, we know that from gallery owners here in Cologne. It’s more of a loss-making business. Because you hardly sell anything at an art fair. It’s just to be present, for the image, and that also affects the price at the end. That’s why we don’t take part in art fairs, because we said that in the end it doesn’t serve the customer, the buyer himself, but only drives up the prices. And that is not necessary.

business-on.de: Is art a business or a hobby?

Iven Orx: For us it is neither. I can only speak for us both, but art is a fulfillment for us. So it’s neither a hobby nor a business. It’s our passion.

Aaron Vinn: It’s like Lagerfeld. He didn’t have any hobbies either. His work was his fulfillment. And it’s the same with us.

business-on.de: How do you think the art market works?

Aaron Vinn: That’s a very broad question.

Iven Orx: We talked about the blue chips earlier. That’s the other world, how the art market works. Again, I can only speak for us and for us art is a cultural asset. It is neither a commodity nor something you want to look at through your wallet. It is a lifestyle. It is a piece of life. And how the art market works … I think everyone has to find their own way – whether you are a gallery owner or an artist – so where you find fulfillment for yourself. There is no rule saying that the market works this way and you have to do it this way or that way. I think with us it’s a mixed factor, an institution that consists of many factors. But it is not a rule. You can’t say, “This is how it works and not differently.” Art is something very individual and personal.

We recommend every artist to be authentic, to be who you are, simply carry your inwardness outwards in the form of art and realise yourself. Then success will come, it will happen by itself. Whether it’s your own gallery or a gallery owner who discovers you … The paths are different. The most important thing is to do what you love.

Download: How much entrepreneurial spirit can or should be found in an artist?