Gerhard Petzl
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→ Book: Jaarboek Kunstenaar 25, ISBN 9789491244186, Netherlands
→ Magazine: Contemporary Art Curator`s Magazine, 2nd Issue, 2025 Visionaries: Artists Shaping the Future, Dubai, UAE
→ Catalog: MUSA International - WE CONTEMPORARY, ISBN 9788894626032, Rome, Italy
→ Magazine: BOOMER Gallery Magazine, "Art for Real!", UK
→ Magazine: VOGUE - 4th Edition, Boomer Gallery, UK
→ Book: 'A like Artist', Vol.1, ISBN 2938-2270, Al-Tiba9, Spain
→ The Holy ART - VOID Exhibition, London, UK
→ Magazine: London Magazine (Chelsea Life), London, UK
→ Magazine: Circle Spotlight - Contemporary Art Magazine, Issue 29, France
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→ Identity - INSA Art Centre, by MUSA International Art Centre, Seoul, South Korea, 2025
→ I see U - Galerium Art, CAN, 2025
→ Castello Gallery, Whispered Realms: Hidden Spaces & Beings, Venice, IT, 2025
→ The Sky Above - Exhibizone (Exhibition and Promotion), CAN, 2024
→ Contemporary Art Curator - Parallel World (Online Portrait GP), Spain, 2024
→ Exhibizone - Emptiness 2024 (3rd Annual Exhibition and Promotion), Ontario, CAN, 2024
→ Andakulova Gallery, Dubai, UA, 2023
→ Nicoletta Gallery, Berlin, Germany, 2023
→ Thomson Gallery, Zug, Switzerland, 2023
→ Andie Art Gallery, Athens, Greece, 2023
→ Casa del Arte Gallery, Palma, Spain, 2023
→ SwissART Expo, ZH, Switzerland, 2023
→ Lights, Shadows, Reflections by Gallerium.art, Ontario, CAN, 2023
→ Cipriarte Venezia Gallery, Venice, IT, 2023
→ Contemporary Art Curator "Parallel Worlds", Online
→ ArtEXPO Basel, Basel, CH, 2023
→ Finity Gallery, Berlin, Germany
→ Gardenia - ExhibiZONE (Exhibition), Ontario, CAN, 2023
→ Extinction - Gallerium.art (Exhibition), Ontario, CAN, 2023
→ Colorium - Gallerium.art (Exhibition and Publication), Ontario, CAN, 2023
→ Strata II, Layered Reality (Verum Ultimum), Santa Fe, NM, USA, 2023
→ Red Bluff Art Gallery - Furry Friends, CA, USA, 2023
→ AVE22 MetaGallery - ALIVE Exhibition, Online/Metaverse
→ Exhibizone - LOVE Exhibition, Toronto, CAN, 2023
→ Figures or Faces - Las Laguna Art Gallery, CA, USA, 2023
→ Exhibizone - True Beauty, Toronto, CAN, 2023
→ Gallerium Art - "Believe" Exhibition, Toronto, CAN, 2023
→ Core ART Space - Rose Colored Glasses, Colorado, USA, 2023
→ The Holy ART - DRIFT Exhibition, Athens, Greece, 2023
→ Influx Gallery - The Endless Exhibition, London, UK, 2023
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→ Ten Moir Gallery "Still Life Competition", Santa Fe, USA, 2024
→ Shortlisted VAA - Artist of the Year Competition, UK, 2024
→ GLOBAL ART VIRTUOSO: ELITE ARTISTIC CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, Spain, 2024
→ Collectors Art Prize (Contemporary Art Curator Magazine), Spain, 2023
→ Michelangelo International Art Prize, Rome, Italy, 2021
→ Citizen of Honour, Kalsdorf, Austria, 2018
→ Master Chocolatier of the Year, New York, USA, 2017
→ Swiss Chocolate Masters (as Coach), Bern, Switzerland, 2015
→ Master Award – One of the Best 25 Chocolatiers in the US, 2011
→ Gold at Luxury Chocolate Salon Las Vegas, USA, 2010
→ Gold at Luxury Chocolate Salon Chicago, USA, 2010
→ Gold at Luxury Chocolate Salon Boston, USA, 2010
→ Winner Art Competition: "The Old House", New York, USA, 2010
→ Winner: Grand America Gingerbread House Competition, Salt Lake City, USA, 2009
→ WACS Global Master Chef – Certification, Germany, 2009
→ Int. Summer Academy of Painting – Art Prize, Halbenrain, Austria, 2005
→ Winner: Galerie Centrum – Art Competition, Graz, Austria, 2003
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(Gallery artworks)
→https://www.gerhardpetzl.gallery(Chocolate artworks)
→https://www.gerhardpetzl.com(Masks, only-started in 2025)
→https://www.instagram.com/petzl_art/→https://www.instagram.com/choco4uall/
Born in Graz, Austria, 1973. Lives & works in Vevey, Switzerland and Kalsdorf/Graz, Austria.
"Masterclasses of Art & Design" (section sculpturing) with Diploma, HTL Ortwein, Graz, Austria (2003-05) Master's Exam for Pastry Arts (1994) "Nude painting", University of Applied Art, Vienna, Austria "Painting Summer Academy" at Hortus Niger, Halbenrain, Austria
A multi-disciplinary artist who works for over 30 years with bronze, stone, wood, mixed media and chocolate and does not limit himself to any medium, technique and shape. The exploration of shape, colour and texture is his personal on-going journey, which brings him into unexplored areas and self-discoveries. He sails between 2D-visuals the classical way of drawings on paper to digital art. He creates 3D-sculptures (from found objects, recycled materials to metal works like bronze or Aluminium) and ends up often even in the field of Science.
- Pioneer of using "Chocolate crystals" as an art form (like he did with his famous "Planet series") and uses crystal pattern as naturally grown design elements for lifestyle products.
- Publisher of 3 chocolate art books (2018, 2020).
My artworks stem from an inner urge to explore and understand myself. It's like a flow of thoughts that manifests in a sculpture, drawing, or even a photographed arrangement of objects. Sometimes I revisit sculptures or paintings I began decades ago, only now realising what they needed to be complete. My artistic and personal growth are intertwined, guiding the process over time.
With over 30 years in both the creative industries of food and chocolate (on the highest possible industry level globally), as well as creating abstract sculptures in different media and techniques, my brain is trained to create and deliver. I work with materials like bronze, aluminum, wood, resin, and even chocolate, as I am known internationally as a chocolate artist. My sculptures, whether chaotic or refined, are thoughtfully composed to achieve harmony. My works, like the “Planet series,” are detailed and scientific chocolate experiments of macrophotography visuals of bloomed cocoa butter in chocolate.
As my artistic approach also focuses on sustainable processes I often use recycled materials like seen in the "Mask series" where onion husks, mandarin peels, fin needles, found plastic pieces from the lake, old power cables and others, allowing the artworks to reveal themself in a different context than the original use. I like to see life and artworks as a holistic chain of events therefore even the shavings, cut-off or other materials arising during the process of making art are then used for ongoing artworks afterwards. The flow of happenings are not interrupted between “living phase” and “creating art”phase.
"Wrinkles Series” Acrylic on fabric or paper:
Inspired by his countless travels, I am every time fascinated by observing the earth from an airplane. Especially the Alps, along the Northern hemisphere around the polar circle and other mountain ranges and landscapes. They come in a variety of shapes, shadows and colour gradations, depending on the day- or nighttime and geographical zone of travel. The wrinkled mountains, gorges, and landscapes inspire me to depict them as acrylic paintings on fabric or paper and transform them from a moment in time on a plane to an artwork which will last for generations to come.
Golden Tongue, bronze sculpture:
An abstract figurine human sculpture of showing naughtily the tongue. The dark part on the top represents dark clouds, endless thoughts and/or other mental garbage around the head area and stands in stark contrast to the rest of the shiny beauty. The harmonious flow of shape line changes nicely when turned 360°. While looking at the sculpture you will find a reflection of yourself in it. An abstract figurine human sculpture of showing naughtily the tongue. The dark part represents dark clouds or other mental garbage around the head area and stands in stark contrast to the rest of the shiny beauty. While looking at the sculpture you will find a reflection of yourself in it.
New crystal life form, bronze sculpture:
New underwater plants were created as an artwork as they will survive the next thousands of years despite the global warming and climate changes. At least in far future there will be sculptural remaining left which certifies how life on earth was at times when organic life forms still existed. A dystopian background concept idea but showing the beauty of organic life forms. Journey to Inner self, bronze sculpture (and chocolate): A bronze statue is standing on the floor. 85 kilograms of chocolate are applied to the sculpture and formed into the shape of a bodybuilder. When the chocolate sculpture is completed, the chocolate is melted away, revealing the bronze statue, as inner core again. The chocolate, therefore, serves as a human shell that disconnects from its inner self through time and eventually falls away naturally.
Composition XX, ALU sculpture text:
As the artwork was created intuitively, it shows the compressed and manifested body of fragmented thoughts or pictures, similar to a dream. There are stairs to nowhere, rounded edges, empty spaces and as a whole you may even consider seeing a human head. But maybe it is all just an illusion, as the texture of the sculpture looks like concrete but it is an aluminium.
