Like a wilted flower, a massive propeller lets its blades droop downward in an innovative sculpture that captures the cyclical nature of life and environmental destruction. Berlin-based artist Daniel Hölzl, 30, has bent the enormous steel components of an old "Raisin Bomber" aircraft in his sculptor's studio to create this striking piece, which will be displayed during Art Week at Dittrich & Schlechtriem gallery.
The Austrian-born artist explains the conceptual cycle behind his propeller sculpture: "The flower becomes sediment and eventually turns into petroleum. That petroleum powers the airplane, and when it crashes, its propellers bend like the drooping petals of the flower. The circle closes." This cyclical thinking forms the foundation of Hölzl's artistic philosophy and drives much of his creative work.
During Art Week, running from September 10-14, Hölzl will open his exhibition at Dittrich & Schlechtriem gallery on September 12. Alongside the bent propeller blades, he will display a second propeller that continuously rotates while spraying black paint throughout the gallery space. The paint itself was created from environmental pollution - specifically soot extracted from polluted air, demonstrating the artist's commitment to using materials that reflect environmental concerns.
Cycles remain the focal point of Hölzl's artistic practice. He creates paintings using recycled aircraft carbon fiber, utilizing the stubborn black fabric that emerges from the recycling process as his canvas. On these unconventional canvases, he paints with melted wax made from leftover church candles. Since paraffin is also derived from petroleum, the circle closes once again, creating another layer of environmental commentary in his work.
The inspiration for his aviation-themed art comes from the life stories of his two grandfathers, both of whom were passionate amateur pilots. The grandfather of his American wife Ciara, 28, even flew Raisin Bombers during the Berlin Airlift. Ironically, Daniel Hölzl himself only travels as a passenger on airplanes. "That surprises many people because I'm often regarded as the artist with the airplanes," he reveals, noting that his body of work encompasses much more than aviation themes.
Hölzl's diverse artistic practice includes confining bundled fishing rods in spaces too small to contain them and sewing gigantic, inflatable sculptures made from aircraft silk. His breakthrough moment came in 2021 when he created an image of a living room in Berlin's Neukölln district's Schiller neighborhood, which he suspended above the street after inflating it with air taken directly from the actual living room.
The success of that project led to a commission from the Berlinische Galerie, which asked him to create a rooftop sculpture for their 50th anniversary. The massive, transparent plastic cube contains a bubble made of aircraft silk that rises and falls rhythmically, and it has returned to its position atop the building at Alte Jakobstraße 124. Those who look closely can spot bulges in certain areas of the bubble - remnants from the bay windows of his original living room sculpture, as Hölzl laughingly reveals.
The exhibition at Dittrich & Schlechtriem gallery will run until October 25, located at Linienstraße 23, offering visitors an opportunity to experience Hölzl's unique perspective on environmental cycles and the intersection of industrial materials with artistic expression.
