Kai is an artist and designer, best known for his work for smart and Mercedes-Benz. He has been drawing and painting since childhood, mostly in acrylic on canvas and various other media. He often paints over his pieces several times, obscuring layers of previous paintings. He usually begins abstractly. Often a theme emerges that surprises even him. He has recently started reviving his acrylic paintings, adding digital layers and even animating them. Ultimately, “minting” makes each digital work of art unique.

Kai was born in Munich in 1966 and graduated from design studies at the Pforzheim University in Germany. There, he also attended art classes of prof. Bernd Berner and prof. Erich Reiling. He went on to live in Spain, Italy and the USA where he worked in design industry. He currently lives in Stuttgart.

I am fascinated by all forms of contrast: Coarse brushstrokes with soft digital gradients, abstract and real, complementary colors and light-dark contrasts. Thematic contrasts also come into play.

By adding digital layers over acrylic paintings, I discovered a very new, hybrid form of art for myself. It opened up a completely new dimension of aesthetics and even storytelling for me.