Tags: artist | collaborations | Germany

Two German artists, two differing views on what could be seen as a similar background.

Born and raised in post-war Germany, they have been influenced as much by local German art movements as by Pop Art and Abstract Minimalism.

Surrounded by the icons of popular culture from MAD to Mickey Mouse, advertising illustrations and Hollywood movies, they have adopted these fast and ever changing influences of colour, images, content and style and rendered them painterly in New York for the last 16 years.

This is their first attempt at collaborative works, meeting up in Bangkok to work on their collaborative paintings for their upcoming shows in Asia.

How could that possibly work - two such different styles, combining them onto single canvasses? Much smaller projects have destroyed friendships; much smaller feats have failed. Respecting each other and agreeing to free one's mind from one's ego paves the way to a successful start. "It hurts at the beginning to see the other paint over an elaboration for which one has taken a while. And it should hurt," says Moller.

"There is no competition between us as people and friends and this project is about the challenge to create and transfer this openness into collaborative artworks." says Kaiser, "playing off each other's imagery, paint strokes, content as well as the atmosphere in the studio. By combining collage, painting and drawing onto a canvas, we will hopefully push each other into new territory."