Felix Ludwig Neumann teases the spectator into large tableaus. He makes use of friendly colours like pastels of pink and turquoise, employs straight graphic forms and shapes of human body parts in vivid gestures. The tableaus are relatable and attractive. Beneath the inviting surface, there lures something else, deeper and darker. Dominance and deception, travesti and codes, seduction. Paintings easy to enter, but uneasy to dwell. He does not want to shock, he says. Still F.L. Neumann generates doubt and a sort of fertile insecurity. He lures to an unsafe place, strips the viewer of his expectations to open up a more intimate and evolved perspective.

“On one hand I needed to escape the devastating presence of addiction in my family. On the other hand I have always been fascinated by the layered character of my uncle, his open and communicative nature, his absence of fear from his mind, his masochism and cruel exploitive abilities. He was incredibly fun to be with, I understood that. I was a child. I loved this human being, this creature. I was hooked. The notion of unhinged danger, yet caring, though totally unrestrained. His presence, this “über-real” sensation I long to recreate in painting, writing and composing.”


It’s Felix Ludwig Neumann’s absolute thrill.