Gerhard Petzl

Biography

Gerhard is an Austrian born (1973) visual artist who lives in Switzerland since 2014 already.
He specialized in chocolate art and is using many different media, like bronze, wood, stone, mixed media, graphic designs and Lifestyle products to express himself.

He is a trained Master Pastry Chef and Chocolatier and was even voted as the
“Master Chocolatier of the year” in New York, USA (2017). He won in his career more than 8 gold medals and 25 awards in international competitions on four continents so far. His art was shown in 250+ publications in magazines and newspapers and is also a regular guest on various television channels.
The “Chocolate crystals” he discovered as an art form and he is a pioneer in presenting this to the public, either in his published book ‘Chocolate Crystals - the soul of chocolate’ (2018) or like in gallery exhibitions with the “Planet series”. He also does 1 hour Live-performances with chocolate on stage, like a chocolate body- painting or creating sculptures live in front of an audience.
Gerhard’s interest in the artistic side of his craft drove him to enroll in the
"Master’s School of Art and Design" (section sculpturing) in Graz, Austria where he graduated with a diploma (2003-05).
He exhibited in:
Austria (Vienna (ChocoVienna-Live Performance), Graz – Künstlerhaus (Group77 with Erwin
Wurm), K.U.L.M, Gallery centrum),
Germany (Cologne (Kölner Liste), Munich (Luitpoldblock), Gießen/Frankfurt (Neuer
Kunstverein), Goslar (bbk-H) Paderborn (City Hall), Live Performances (Wernigerode)
Halle (permanent exhibition)
Switzerland (Lucerne - Historic museum, Zurich - Mexican embassy, SwissART Expo, Broc
(permanent exhibition)
China (Gallery by the Harbour, Hong Kong),
Australia (Sydney - multiple locations like Live performance at “Brain art exhibition”
University of Sydney);
USA (The Chocolate Show, New York, ACCI gallery, Berkeley, CA, Salt Lake City, UT (Grand
America), ArtBox Project 2.0, MIAMI). UK (London (The Line)
Spain (Madrid (Galeria Gaudi)
Italy (Art week Rome-Gallery Rossocinabro)

Three books published:
1) The Chocolate Table (2018), ISBN: 978-2-9701206-1-2,
2) The Chocolate Crystals – the soul of chocolate (2018), ISBN: 978-2-9701206-0-5,
3) SCIENCE meets CHOCOLATE ART (2020), ISBN 978-2-9701206-2-9,

His latest endeavours are the "Mirrored world Editions" which create a new dimension of being and seeing, The new images are providing you an illusion of knowing or recognizing the content but it also leads you to an adventurous journey into something new and unexpected. What is reality? That what we see with our eyes or are the mirrored images the reality and we see it just distorted as our brain development might not be ready nowadays but maybe in 500 years? Our human body itself is also kind of a mirrored image - with minor imperfections though.

Artist Statement

"Look inside yourself until you find true beauty." Quote Gerhard Petzl

Country Switzerland

Website https://www.gerhardpetzl.gallery