photo: Rahel Köhli, blackcatstudio.ch
*1992 in Berlin, D
Lives and works in Basel, CH
Felix Kindelán's artistic practice navigates the tension between contemporary abstraction and baroque visual dramaturgy. His paintings are rooted in existential questions of an emotional nature—inner conflicts, healing processes, and moments of spiritual growth. The images arise from a need to look beneath the surface: beneath the skin, into the core of human experience.
The central figure in his works is the abstracted human body. Its form, oriented toward muscular structures, becomes the carrier of psychological states. Fragmentation and anatomical exaggeration symbolize the complexity of emotions and personality patterns. This creates pictorial spaces in which vulnerability and strength, dissolution and condensation are simultaneously present.
Formally, his works are characterized by elegant movement, luminous color depth, and dramatic, baroque-like compositions. The tension-filled interplay of light and dark ties in with the tradition of chiaroscuro and seeks a spiritual dialogue with Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The impasto application of paint and expressive gestures reveal his affinity with Expressionism, particularly Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. At the same time, Francis Bacon encouraged him to understand personal emotional struggles as a powerful source of artistic insight.
The concept of “Existential Baroque” describes a contemporary direction within figurative painting that combines dramatic visual staging with personal and psychological depth. Coined by Felix Kindelán, the term invites viewers to move beyond external attributions and encounter themselves in a shared experience of vulnerability and transformation.
Felix Kindelán was repeatedly rejected by art schools in Berlin, Leipzig, and Basel when he applied to study art and design, which has led him to remain a self-taught artist out of conviction ever since.
Contact
mail@felix-kindelan.com
@felixkindelan
Exhibitions
2024
Duo; Kusasa Gallery; Zurich, CH
2023
Group; Meet the Artist; Netz Art Consult; Rheinfelden, CH
2022
Solo; Angekommen; Lakeside Gallery; Zug, CH
2021
Group; Ausstellung im Jahreswechsel; Lakeside Gallery; Zug, CH
Group; Ausstellung im Jahreswechsel; Lakeside Gallery; Zug, CH
Group; Abstrakte Schönheit; Lakeside Gallery; Zug, CH
2018
Group; Affordable Art Fair; ARTvergnuegen; Hamburg, D
2017
Group; Mixed Art Basel Vol. 8; Galerie zum Harnisch; Basel Art Center; Basel, CH
Group; Basel Art after Art Basel; Novum Investments; Basel Art Center; Basel, CH
Group; Affordable Art Fair; ARTvergnuegen; Hamburg, D
Press
2026
bz – Zeitung für die Region Basel; Article (Link)
2025
Existential Baroque; Book, self-published
2023
Contemporary Art Curator Magazine; Interview (Link)
bz – Zeitung für die Region Basel; Article (Link)
Artlife and Style; Interview (Link)
Al-Tiba9 Contemporary Art Magazine, Issue 13
99 Future Blue-Chip Artists; artsted.com; Book feature
Bilt Collection; Portrait film (Link)
SRF Kultur; Reel Instagram (Link)
2022
Viral. Magazin; Reel Instagram (Link)
Mazz ab! Vollbart nachgefragt; Podcast guest
2016
Kaltblut Magazin; Article (Link)
Collections
Bilt Collection; New York, USA (Link)