'During the past 40 years I have used paintings, performances, and film-making as mediums to create a multitude of statements.'
As a young man, Bert Esenherz was inspired by the work of Harald Naegeli, which led him to begin experimenting with graffiti as a form of personal expression. In his early search for artistic identity, he engaged with the punk movement and contributed to the evolving techno culture in Berlin.
In his twenties, Esenherz traveled extensively throughout Europe, learned to sail on Lake Constance, and later crossed the Atlantic Ocean by boat—experiences that deeply informed his approach to art and performance. From this period forward, Performance Art became a central force in his practice.
In 1994, he launched "Wall Hall", an annual two-month public performance project that explored and documented the process of producing, displaying, and celebrating art in communal spaces.
In 2001, Esenherz undertook an ambitious performance across the United States, walking coast-to-coast while pushing a 7-by-5-foot painting on wheels, bringing art directly into local communities and sparking dialogue along the way.
His work has since been exhibited in numerous galleries across Europe and the United States, continuing to reflect his passion for socially engaged, boundary-pushing artistic expression.