Andreas Slominski Meppen, Germany, b. 1959

Andreas Slominski studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg and began his artistic career in the early 1980s.

From the outset, Slominski has pursued a direct and often playful dialogue with the viewer, consistently questioning the nature of art and its reception. He became known for his so-called “traps”—absurd, sculptural contraptions inspired by a vole trap he once encountered. These works blur the line between sculpture and functional object, using irony, humor, and subtle misdirection to explore the tension between utility and art.

Slominski’s practice frequently revolves around everyday materials and motifs, recontextualized with a surreal twist. His compositions combine kitsch and absurdity with a sense of encoded meaning: toy-like skis and poles, sometimes affixed directly to the panels, function as both visual elements and cryptic signatures. Recurring motifs such as distorted clocks evoke a fragmented sense of time, interweaving personal, mythological, and mechanical rhythms.

In his Polystyrene Pictures, Slominski shifted into a hybrid realm of painting and sculpture. Using large Styrofoam slabs, engraved and spray-painted in fluorescent and primary colors, he created layered scenes featuring stylized renderings of boats, egg yolks, skis, and tools—framed in massive steel structures that compress and contain the imagery. While visually distinct from his earlier work, these pieces preserve his conceptual intent: to unsettle familiar forms and resist easy interpretation.