Who this is
Tim Bengel is an artist from the Stuttgart region who works in Esslingen. He became known for his own technique of glue, black and white sand and gold leaf, which he refined from his school days on. Videos in which he tips the excess sand off his pictures to reveal the motif have collected close to a billion views over the years. Projects beyond the canvas followed: a cemetery of 100 marble slabs in Berlin, an avocado bagel cast in solid gold, the Superkraut festival with a stainless steel sculpture celebrating Filder cabbage, and a jersey for the football club VfB Stuttgart. On the side he collects art, co-founded a vegan restaurant in Stuttgart and has invested in a Stuttgart venture capital fund.
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FAQ
Who is Tim Bengel?
Tim Bengel is an artist from the Stuttgart region who became known for pictures made of black and white sand and gold leaf. He works in Esslingen, now also makes sculptures and installations, collects art and runs side ventures such as a vegan restaurant in Stuttgart. To the episode →
How did Tim Bengel become known?
Through Facebook videos showing him tip the excess sand off a picture as the motif appears. Business Insider in New York shared one of these videos, which then got 18 million views in a week. According to Tim, the videos added up to close to a billion views and 500,000 Facebook followers over the years. To the episode →
How much does a Tim Bengel picture cost?
At first his prices were a few thousand euros, starting at around 2,000 to 5,000 euros. They later rose because a fair in Malaysia required at least 20,000 dollars and a New York gallerist at least 40,000 per picture. According to Tim, one picture has already sold in the six-figure dollar range. To the episode →
Quotes
„ich habe dafür 0€ bezahlt, muss man überlegen, was man irgendwie für eine Milliarde Views zahlen müsste, wenn man das als ad schalten würde““I paid zero euros for it. Just think what you'd have to pay for a billion views if you ran them as ads.”
„Dann dann gucken die Leute es eine Sekunde an und denken OK es ist irgendwas kommerzielles dahinter und scrollen weiter.““Then people look at it for a second, think there's something commercial behind it, and keep scrolling.”
„Jeder Mensch hat von einem neuen Projekt immer auch Angst.““Everyone is a little afraid of a new project.”
„wenn ich ein Kunstwerk mach und es wird von 0 Leuten gesehen, dann dann kann es das beste Kunstwerk der Welt sein. Aber ja, es erreicht einfach nichts.““If I make an artwork and nobody sees it, it can be the best artwork in the world. It just doesn't achieve anything.”
„Also ich schaue eigentlich nicht auf die Anzahl der Follower. Sondern wenn, dann auf die Qualität.““I don't really look at the number of followers. If anything, I look at their quality.”