VITA
The Artist
Ulla Wobst was born in Gelsenkirchen-Buer, Germany, and studied German and English Philology, the study of language in written historical sources, for six years at the Universities of Munich, Tuebingen, Berlin, Cologne, Muenster and Wuerzburg.
Wobst is essentially an academic who became a teacher and shortly afterwards, was promoted to one of the six Headmasters at a German College with 1500 pupils. She was responsible for the Languages and Art Departments. She also taught German, English and Drama.
In parallel, Ulla Wobst privately studied Art History and Fine Arts in a process of self-discovery in which she developed her passion for painting. Ulla is married and has two children. Since 2002 she has worked as an independent artist in her Dortmund atelier.
Wobst‘s artwork has been selected for numerous solo and group exhibitions all over the world, such as the prestigious London Art Biennale. Her works can be found in international private collections, firms, institutions and museums.
Elena Foschi,
Art Historian,
London, August 2016
Artist‘s Statement
I remember to have painted since I was about three years old and was fascinated by the fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers that had been told and -a bit later- read out to me. To remain longer in these magical realms I started to draw and paint what I had heard. This has become my main impetus for painting: to live in both worlds, in so called reality and of surreality/depths-of-the-psyche and dreams... To me there is no real difference between these worlds, the transitions are fluent and this is what my works want to make obvious: that reality is infinite. It consists of everything revealed to us by our senses, lived and experienced and as well includes everything felt and imagined, dreamed and thought of. But it is not limited to all this. In the realms of mind, spirit and soul there are no boundaries.
In this infinite reality my main interest is man: his relationship to his fellow-men, to his own self, to God, the universe, the numen, to life and death. I want to show his manifold facets, his fears and wishes, his sorrows, his joy of life and his reflectiveness. To show all this I make use of an archive of literary relations, dream projections and memories and also employ abstract, symbolic and surreal elements to convey a special message.
The title, Curtained Truths, I gave to a book about my artwork -edited and published by ICAC, International Confederation of of Art Critics, London 2016- has many reasons:
- From early childhood on I've tried to look behind Maya's curtain.
- The messages of my works are not always directly apparent but curtained.
- Their style could be characterized as a blend of drama and painting, undoubtedly going back to my first career as a teacher for drama.
- They often have a dramatic topic or depict a dramatic atmosphere after the theatre curtain has been lifted.
I've often been asked why I didn't study Art and this is my answer: In retrospect I don't regret it. Sure, it would have spared me time as to learning different techniques, etc. more quickly than by books or trial and error but no teacher can teach an artist his very own themes!
Exhibitions & Awards
Exhibitions 2021-2008
2021
Mostra L'AMORE NELL ARTE, MILANO ART GALLERY a cura di Salvo Nugnes
2020
Mostra SPOLETO Arte, Spoleto, Italy
International group exhibition
Curators: Prof. Vittorio Sgarbi and Prof. Salvo Nugnes Cinque
2019
London Art Biennale, UK
Solo Exhibition, St. Petersburgh / Florida
Warhouse Arts District Association, Artsxchange
2018
Solo Exhibition, Rome, Gallery Il Collezionista, Rome, Italy
Biennale Chianciano, Italy
2017
London Art Biennale, UK
International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Mantua, Italy
Art Festival at Palazzo Pontificio, Rome, Italy
Biennale Delle Nazioni, Venice, Italy
2016
Triennale, Italia della Creatività, Verona, Italy
2015
“I Segnalati”, Exhibition Edinburgh, UK
Biennale Chianciano, Italy
“Art Monaco”, France
Louvre Carousel, France
London Art Biennale, UK
2014
World Wide Art Los Angeles, Convention Center, USA Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Monreale, Italy LDX Artodrome Gallery, Berlin , Germany
Art Peking, LDX Artodrome Gallery, China
Galerie Marziart, Hamburg, Germany
Artavita, World Wide Art, Los Angeles, USA
2013
Biennale Chianciano, Italy
Pall Mall Gallery, London, UK
London Art Biennale, UK
“Art of the Mind”, Gagliardi Gallery, London, UK
2012
“Body Anatomy”, Galleria Tondinelli, Rome, Italy
Amsterdam Showcase at De Oude Kerk, Netherlands
Chianciano International Art Award, Chianciano Art Museum, Italy
Artelibre Gallery-Art Aragon Group, Zaragoza, Spain
LDX Artodrome Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Museo de la Ciudad de Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
Art Palm Beach, USA
LDX Artodrme Gallery, Malta
2011
Art Fair Lausanne, Switzerland
Broadway Gallery, New York, USA
“ROT-Orange”, LDX Artodrome Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Biennale Chianciano, Italy
Shanghai Art Fair, China
LDX Artodrome Gallery, CIGE, Peking, China
Artodrome Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Berlin, Germany
2010
Galerie Werkstatt, Bettina Kretschmer, Solo Exhibit, Bochum, Germany
The Affordable Art, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
DONNARTE, Fortezza Medicea Girifalco, Cortona, Italy
LDX Artodrome Gallery, CIGE, Peking, China
Jaffa- Museum Exhibition, Tel Aviv, Israel
London Art Biennale, UK
Shanghai Art Fair, Shangai, China
2009
Biennale Chianciano, Art Museum, Italy
Galerie Del Mese/Fischer, Palazzo Verbania, Luino, Italy
Galerie Artodrome Berlin, Germany
CIGE Peking, China
Bridge Art Fair New York, USA
Opera Gallery Budapest, Hungary
2008
Furstenball Spielcasino, Hohensyburg, Solo Exhibition, Germany
International KG Gallery , Art Center Berlin, Germany
Galerie SPAS, Solo Exhibition St. Petersburg, Russia
International K.G. Gallery, Artexpo New York, USA
Awards (only mentioning the most recent ones, 2020-2013)
2020
TARGO PREMIO "ARTISTA INTERNAZIONALE"
awarded by the Committee of the exhibition Mostra SPOLETO ARTE
Palm Art Award, Quedlinburg, Art for Hope Award, Germany
2019
London Art Biennale, 2nd Prize for Surrealist Art, UK
2nd Prize for RENDEZVOUS IN A BEAUTIFUL TOWN, in the Book Project, contest, artshow "A Fine Art Journey", August
2018
Certificato d‘Onore per meriti artistici, Rome, Italy
The International Prize of Nations, Tribute to Tiziano, Venice, Italy
2017
London Art Biennale, 2nd Prize, Biennale Jury, UK
Palm Art Award, Leipzig, Certificate of Excellence, Germany
2015
Biennale Chianciano, 3rd Prize, Italy
London Art Biennale, 2nd Prize, UK
Art Critic Award, Edinburgh, UK
Bernini -and Anne Frank Award, Lecce, Italy
Prize International Rome Imperial, Italy
2014
Europe in Art, Paris, France
Raffaello Sanzio- and Nelson Mandela Award, Lecce, Italy
Botticelli Prize, Florence, Italy
2013
London Art Biennale, 1st Prize, UK
Chianciano Biennale, 1st Prize, Italy
Palm Art Award, Leipzig, Special Prize, Germany