Mathias
Kniepeiss

Born 1980 in Graz/Austria, i grew up in a family of art lovers. Our house was decorated with artwork by Egon Schiele, Vincent van Gogh and Salvador Dali. At the age of 7 I started painting and tried to copy the masterpieces surrounded me for years. One of my oldest memories was sitting in a gallery and trying to understand why people were fascinated by the "Water Lilies" from a guy called "Monet".

Even as a teenager I was fascinated by new innovations and as soon as I got my first computer. I also got into combining visual creativity with new technology. After learning graphic design in school I worked as a designer for various companies for several years. I have created layouts for websites, logos, posters, brochures, fashion, etc.

At the age of 23 I turned another hobby into a profession: photography. For many years I have learned from great photographers in various fields of photography. I have been travelling around the world and, among other things, was the official team photographer for Red Bull Racing in Formula 1 and the official photographer of the "Life Ball" for "Getty Images", the largest photo agency in the world.

At the age of 32 I began developing my own projects as an art director, which have resulted in receiving awards from Art Basel Miami, Biennale Venice and many others. Arising from that I had the pleasure of working with famous artists such as Andreas Gursky, Erwin Wurm and Herbert Brandl.

I learned a lot from analysing the work of the ancient painters. I have been experimenting with image composition rules and its psychological effects on the viewers. New technology open up exciting possibilities for me as an artist. I enjoy the process of creation, where all the influences, impressions, experiences and skills add up and flow into my current work.