Knopp Ferro

Though metal is his material of choice, the works of Knopp Ferro (b.1953) are anything but “heavy.” A hint of air is enough to set them in motion. Utilizing architectural constructions like houses, bridges or ships, Ferro explores the themes of gravity and magnetism. Under his direction, the structures seem to shed their skin and achieve a poetic relationship with their surroundings; fragile line drawings dancing in air.

Knopp Ferro, Austrian, but born near Cologne, is a sculptor and performer. He studied metal sculpture and performance art in Cologne, joined André Heller's Roncalli Circus as a clown in 1976 and was invited to the Documenta in Kassel a year later. His foundational interest in movement, play, and the transformation of space and experience, together with his knowledge of metalworking, form the basis of Ferro’s signature kinetic sculpture practice.

From 1980 to 1990 he was part of the Zürich based performance theatre "Bumper to Bumper" as an author and performer. After another two years in Zürich the artist wanted new input - and found it in New York, where he made his home from 1992 to 1994. He returned to Cologne and rented a studio on the banks of the river Rhine. In 2003, he received one of the prestigious Worpswede scholarships.

In 2005, Ferro moved to Southern Germany, living in Munich and working in Inning, on one of the beautiful lakes of the alpine upland. He now works out of his studio in Munich and receives commissions for large scale works around the world, including in Switzerland, the United States and Latin America.

Knopp Ferro has performed worldwide and exhibited internationally at galleries in Paris, Madrid, London, Amsterdam, Zürich, Cologne, and São Paulo, amongst many others. His work is included in numerous public collections, including the Museum of Concrete Art, Ingolstadt, Germany; Kleine Museum, Weissenstadt, Germany; Artothek, Cologne, Germany; and MACBA Museum Art Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina.