Gerhard Hahn

Gerhard Hahn lives and works in Krefeld, Germany near Cologne, where he is professor for Product Design and three-dimensional work at Hochschule Niederrhein, University of applied science. Hahn worked as an Engineer for Ceramics at Rosenthal Glass & Porcelain AG, decided to study Ceramics Design and later Fine Arts / Sculpture at Art Academy Duesseldorf. Hahn eventually went back to his origins, searching for contacts with material processing enterprises in order to integrate industrial facilities and production methods with his concept of art creation. Through examining the specific situation in factories concerning processes, use of materials, products and even production faults he finds inspiration and a playground for his personal ideas. Hahn inserts a human perspective and a specific poetry in teh confrontation of individual art work and serial production.

In addition to his studio work, mainly in clay, Hahn accomplished five major collaborations with industrial enterprises since 1996, two of them with the Arts/Industry Program in the Kohler Co. foundry in 1997 and 2002. Further projects took place in a modern brick factory and in a facility that fabricates ceramics/silicon carbide products. In his latest project, Hahn built large lighted pneumatic objects in a German ventilator production plant that inflate and deflate to special rhythms. Hahn taught sculpture at art academies in Berlin, Stuttgart and Dessau, and he shows in various galleries and museums in German and Europe.