111 Minna Gallery is proud to present “Berliner Unkraut”, an exhibition showcasing and surveying recent works from some of the top artists from Germany working within the lowbrow / pop-surrealism movements as well as two of the country’s top street artists.The line -up consists of Mateo, Johan Potma, Evol, Pisa 73 and Tina Zellmer. The ARTIST-ATTENDED opening reception on Thursday, May 7, 2009, 6pm-late.

TINA ZELLMER was born in 1974 in the north of Germany. I traveled around Australia after graduating in illustration design at the Art and Design Academie in the Netherlands in 2000 (Academie Minerva) and have been working as an freelance illustrator and designer ever since. In 2002 I moved to Amsterdam and since 2003 live and work in Berlin. My work harmoniously blends dreamy textures and ideas with stark and graphic elements. The artwork combines the strengths of collage, painted textures, photography and handmade pencil drawings.

MATEO was born in San Mateo, California. From a young age he was addicted to the idea of creating his own world full of odd monsters. As it is now, in those days it was not uncommon to see Mateo with pencil in hand, fervently giving life to his next creation. At the age of 20 he had an epiphany. He realized he could continue creating his world of offbeat characters and do so without getting a dreaded desk job! That sounded too good to be true. So he went to school, learned to paint, became somewhat known in San Francisco, then he moved to Berlin, Germany. In Berlin he painted on whatever he could find (old boxes, windows, tins, etc.). He then secured a spot at the flea market, and soon he and his artwork became a well known fixture of the Boxhagener Flea Market and of Berlin. His world of freaks and monsters can now be seen in his gallery Zozoville, alongside the artwork of his colleague Johan Potma. Mateo can usually be found in the back room of the Zozoville Gallery covered in paint, creating new monsters.

JOHAN POTMA’s work is done is acrylic paint and usually consists of more then one material As a kid growing up he learned a lot from skateboarding. It was this sport that opened up my his eyes to his surroundings and see possibilities everywhere. The city was my playground and to this day still is. Also, the world of imagery, strongly connected to skateboarding has clearly giving me direction as where to go with my artwork. As a Dutch artist living in Berlin, Potma has always had a deep interest in old materials to work with and developed the style he works with today during his time at the Minerva Art Academy. The old materials are a big part of my artwork since they, in their own way, tell a part of the story Potma is trying to get across. Stories told through stains, cracks and bumps in the material  usually wood and old paper collage) Inspired by these materials Potma adds layer after layer of his own story, played out by all sorts of goofy, weird and crazy but lovable characters, that take on a central role in his artwork. Recent works by Pisa 73 and Evol will also be on display courtesy of the Wilde Gallery in Berlin. The opening is free and open to members of the public 21 and over.

The exhibition will run from May 7- May 30, 2009