Klaus Kux

Klaus Kux

born on 28.08.1958 in Lichtenstein (Saxony, Germany)
Interdisciplinary artist. He was a teacher for art at a German college.

1. Biography

Klaus Kux lives in the village of Callenberg / Langenchursdorf (Saxony) together with his wife Birgit Kux née Hergesell. They married in 1980 and have three children. Klaus grew up in Gersdorf. His mother worked as a sewist and his father was employed as a welder in a concrete factory.

He painted and drew a lot as early as in his childhood. Having completed his O- and A-levels and an apprenticeship as a machine engineering draughtsman he graduated from technical college with a pedagogic degree and with distinction in Chemnitz, formerly Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1982. While being employed as a technical teacher he continued studying painting and artwork at the former Academy of Cultures in Karl-Marx-Stadt and graduated with a teaching allowance as „head of coterie“.

During his apprenticeship Klaus Kux incurred a work accident, his right eye remaining blind. He was exempted from military service.

The 1980s were coined by comprehensive studies in painting and artworks. Kux enthusiastically dedicated himself in the Mailart-Scene and was keeping numerous contacts to artists in and out of his country, especially to those, living in the Western World shortly after.

Due to changes concerning the military service Kux was drafted into the former National People´s Army (GDR) in 1984 and did his service as a radio-telephone operator in Holzdorf.

It was exactly the army days that contributed to shape his humanist conception of the world. In those years he performed the project „peacedream“.

As he had already presumed Kux was spyed on by the GDR Secret Service from 1983 to 1989 and they set up a file of 183 pages of questionable protocols. Doing his military service he did a lot of sports.

Moreover he was accused by army officers to have kept contacts to the western worlds and so he was reprimanded on the day of dischargement. Despite several attempts to enlist him he did not join the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.

However Kux taught the ARTs and completed extra occupational studies at the Technical University of Dresden with Professor Unger and Professor Lange and graduated in his first and second state examinations (title 1.5). However, Kux retired in September 2021, marking the beginning of a new phase in his life.
Now, his passion for art is focused on his final masterpiece called "Die Pyramid".

2. The ARTs

Correspondence within the Mailart-Scene broadened his artistic horizon under conditions of GDR life (Dr.phil. Klaus Groh). Especially moodern art trends awakened specific interest in Kux. He conceived political changes in the GDR in 1989 like a relief, because now he was able to visit a lot of Mailart pen-pals. He kept special contact to Franz-Milan Wirth an „old“ artist from Vienna, who familiarized Kux in numerous letters with the human aspect in artworks.

The enormous success of his drawings completely surprised Kux unecpectedly. Those were mixed techniques on paper that he showed in numerous exhibitions in galleries and institutions in several countries. Those works of the 1990s were portaits and nude portraits. Taking part in an exhibition within the Biennale Internazionale Dell´ Arte Contemporanea in Florenz was kind of peaking this period of works.

Among Bettina Uhlig (professor at the Hildesheim University), Ingrid and Eckart Trommer (art handicraft), and Guenter Boettger (artist from Wiederau) Kux was both founder and co-organizer of the project „ART in the Barn“ in Koenigshain /Wiederau from 1996 to 2006, where lots of artists from either nearby or far away got the chance of a presentation.

Around the year 2000 Kux realised his first ideas of Performance-Art. Moreover he was more and more into extreme sports which he always felt to be a good balance for intellectual work.

Lots of travels, especially to Italy were deeply influencing his artistic work. All of a sudden the great Classics of the Renissance were made come alive in the original. It was definitely a full tilt. Visiting the Forum Romanum in 2003 was also deeply impressive. From now on the old and the new Rome framed his works. He lingered over his ideas. In 2004 he founded the group „drawing rhythm“ together with some young musicians from Chemnitz. In several performances Kux used the energy field of drum sound to put drawing impulses down with both hands on huge paper or canvas. In the same year Kux had the chance to enjoy works of Francis Bacon in the Tate Gallery of London. His comment was: „This is the accomplishment of 20th century painting, if not of painting as such.“

This is followed by a shift into a new period of works.

The only chance Kux saw now was to continue his works in an interdisciplinary way. He had the idea to combine his remarkable possibilities in sports with the ARTs and continued working in socalled „Symphonies“.

3. The Symphonies

2007

The „Roman Symphony II“ was a prelude to it. Having done resolute workouts he completed a spectacular unescorted racing cycle tour from his home village to Rome in only 11 days (without being doped). A themed hand drawing can be associated to each kilometre he went. Moreover he stopped in at mayors of the towns and villages and completed a documentation on the Internet. Exactly a hundred years after Picasso painted „Les Demoiselles d´Avignon“ Kux broke with the old-school. The basic foundation of new means of expressiveness was laid.

2009

In „Symphony IV – Great Puzzle“ Kux focused on the history of Europe.The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest was the very triggering incident. He intensified working with the Internet and used it as another formal stylistic means. Some slightly different book is occuring which describes the past and the present and a vision for tomorrow. Silent artistic actions on real locations of historic events as well as hiking along old Roman paths for 234 km together with his wife Birgit accompany the scheme. His artistic ideas develop into works of art of a whole year.

2010

„Sinfonie V – Meditation“

2011

Following a rather mystic inspiration his complex work of art „Symphony VI – views of Sparta“ emerged in this year. Kux is impressed by the enormous willpower of the old Spartians, visits history-charged places like Delphi, Athens and Marathon and is recapitulating his experiences as a soldier. Reflecting which unspeakably effort has to be taken to raise a child and drill it as a soldier and then sacrifice it in an absurd battle, Kux is working-out really hard accordingly. Kux finalizes an extreme run on The Ring (Nuremburg Ring).Creating tiny YouTube sequences is now new in the treasure of using formal means.

2012

Taking a pause of Arts

2013

Works are finished with the complex work of art of „Symphony VII – Poetry of Stones“. Kux puts phenomenons like stone walls, daily newspapers and images of humanity into an artistic context. In the light of all those geopolitical events which can hardly be explained by rationally views anymore he reflects to eternity and evading printed words of a day. A contentually tied system published on the Internet as well as an extreme hike along Hadrians Wall accompany his works of art in this time.

2014 bis 2018

2015

"Icon - 2015"

2016

Netnetism

2017

tgames, www.∃r_FORMEN@google.com

2018

Completion of the comprehensive and process-driven artwork „Sinfonie VIII – Erinnerung“, Collaboration in the exhibition "When victims become heroes" with the museum of Lichtenstein (Saxony)

2019

„immortality“
Reflection on the concept of "immortality", reappraisal of former stations in Kux's art, visits of places with exposed importance for human development.

2020

„in dialogue“
Breaking new ground, understanding other cultures, questioning prejudices ...
The lifelong art of Kux is constantly condensed into a complete work.

2021

"Sinfonie IX – The simple things“

2022

"Pyramid - A poetic journey through space, time, data and coordinates“

4. Present Stage

Bound to a solid family life Kux still lives and works in Callenberg / OT Langenchursdorf. Further, London is becoming increasingly important for his art. Birgit Kux (muse, critic, photographer) and Klaus Kux often work as a team, in this respect, his previous claim to be an individual creator, appears variable.

Kux` art remains independent from personal sensitivities and ideology. As a unique selling point, sport remains present in his art even at an advanced age. At the same time, he rejects smoking, alcohol and drugs.

The use of conventional art "production" materials is becoming increasingly less important. On the other hand complex structures are assembled with video to be presented in the Internet while perceptions of current events, cultural and historical aspects from many countries are incorporated. Tolerance and acceptance of other ways of thinking and traditions are essential prerequisites for him. The viewer has the possibility to educate her-/himself directly. In result, traditional art related approaches are changing while copyright laws remains of fundamental importance.

Kux continues his activities in the Internet: His website www.kux-art.de is updated almost monthly. Kux has no social media presence.

5. The works

6. Quotations

7. Weblinks

www.kux-art.de

Youtube-Channel

Atelier3a