Matthias Garff

Our Ménagerie also features spectacular exotic animal species that have rarely been shown before. Gallery guests Nelly Schmücking and Matthias Garff show off the giant acorn »Gudrun«, the wolfhound »Gunnar« and the oversized parakeets »Kiki« and »Goldi«. Fabian Lehnert congratulates Dürer's Rhinocerus on its 500th birthday and also wants to remind us of the so-called Goethe elephant from the ménagerie of Kassel's landgrave Friedrich II [around 1775], who was allowed to play in opera performances and walked around in the Karlsaue. The »documenta« has been held in this former Kassel »Ménagerie« every five years or so since 1955. The prize-winner of the Leipzig annual exhibition, Rosi Steinbach, shows antelope trophies with sneaker branding and her snakes of temptation hiss from the walls.
Ménagerie Director Josef Filipp: Come in! Come in! Be amazed!


Nelly Schmücking, born 1984 in Munich, lives and works in Leipzig and Berlin
2003-2010 Humboldt University Berlin /Studies Biology and Art History; major: Zoology, minor: Animal Physiology. 2010 Diploma in Biology. Subsequently worked for: Max Planck Institute Berlin, Magdeburg Zoological Garden, Natural History Museum »Man and Nature« Munich, Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Munich.
Self-employed as a biologist in the field of knowledge transfer since 2010.
She has been working on animal sculptures since 2013; 2014/15 project Ladenhüter in Leipzig.

Matthias Garff, born 1986 in Solothurn, CH, lives and works in Leipzig.
2008-2010 Dresden University of Fine Arts, basic studies in fine arts, Prof. Sery
2010-2013 HfBK Dresden, specialist class, Prof. Grossarth
2013-2015 HfBK Dresden, master class, Prof. Dammbeck
2015 Artist-in-Residency, La Ira de Dios, Buenos Aires
Exhibitions in Germany and Argentina

Fabian Lehnert, born 1984 in Leipzig, lives and works in Leipzig.
He studied at the Braunschweig University of Fine Arts from 2005-2011.
He completed his master class studies with Prof. Wolfgang Ellenrieder in 2012.
His works can be found in private and public collections – such as the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden and the Landesvertretung Niedersachsen in Berlin.
Exhibitions in Europe and Japan.

Rosi Steinbach, born 1957 in Karl-Marx-Stadt/Chemnitz, lives and works in Leipzig.
1977 Studied at the Köthen College of Engineering. 1981 Diploma in plant engineering.
Since 1990 she has been working as a ceramist and has participated in exhibitions since 1996.
She is the prize-winner of the 18th Leipzig annual exhibition.
Works in public collections: Grassi Museum for Applied Art, Leipzig; Kunstfonds, Dresden State Art Collections; SØR Rusche Collection, Oelde/Berlin 
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