Ministry -Stefan Strumbel – Eichhörnchen

Stefan Strumbel – Eichhörnchen

Stefan Strumbel is a German artist, born on 17 May 1979 in Offenburg. He made a name for himself by exaggerating traditional and cultic artefacts. Such as cuckoo clocks, anchors and crosses and redefining elements of street art and pop art.

He replaces essential elements of the cuckoo clock, such as traditionally carved decorations with motifs dealing with violence, pornography and death. He places the objects in a completely new and often provocative context and always sets limits. At first glance, these objects do not reveal any of the disturbing contents, but look like beautifully crafted wooden sculptures. With their colorful and bright surfaces, the works of art appear as light and shiny pieces of Pop Art. Strumbel, however, creates both a unique artificial and artistic aesthetic by using extreme exaggerations in the content of form.

His work:

Another important aspect of this work relates to the concept of home. Strumbel’s works raise important questions of identity: How do I project myself to the outside world? How and through what do I define myself? Strumbel’s art triggers a change in social values. Traditional ideals, clichéd notions of home and the reality of the individual are dissolved and transformed into an aesthetic. That becomes an allegory of social status symbols. He exposes the mechanism of a society that, in its desire for status and the pursuit of consumerism, surrenders itself to the constant attraction of the media. With his transformed objects, Strumbel successfully creates an illusionary world that reflects real diseases of society.

In the German village of Goldscheuer, the artist rebuilt the inside of the Catholic Church of Mary built in 1962. Strumbel approached the church with the idea of a completely modern intervention. After initial scepticism about the project, he soon had the support of the entire town. Pastor Thomas Braunstein already praised Strumbel’s work as a “gift from heaven”. The reopening of the newly designed church on 1 July 2011 was recognized in all media platforms. Funky stripes that embellish the choir wall, LED light that shines on speech bubbles, and comic book elements that all adorn the Catholic Church in an innovative way. The New York Times recently commissioned the artist to design the cover of the magazine.

Stefan Strumbel currently lives and works in Offenburg.