Volker Hawighorst

In my work, many small elements are combined into new, larger entities. A different configuration of mundane, everyday objects results in a novel perspective, where the elements create a completely new and often surprising context. Each small building block has already had a life and served a defined purpose, but now it features in a formation that hasn’t been experienced before. After an international career in design I moved from Germany to New Zealand, where I started exploring different media to express my creativity. The aesthetics of recycled materials became more and more significant and I’m intrigued by being able to give something that is considered useless a new sense of usefulness. Light and shadows caught and cast by the materials, colour tensions, patterns and rhythms contribute to the aesthetic appeal of my art, despite the fact that it consists of throw-away items that endanger our environment.