prisoned thoughts Print

The self-taught artist Zef Rabe was born in 1972 in Northern Germany. Growing up in middle-class circumstances, the lightness of childhood was destroyed by the early death of his father. His youth and school years were marked by the conflict between conformity and rebellion. In 1991, during a stay abroad in the Middle East, he experienced the beginning of the 2nd Gulf War. This experience resulted in his refusing German military service and later studying political science in Hamburg. While Zef Rabe was politically and socially involved in various NGO`s he first learned to express himself with urban art as a form of protest. Contemporary art, photography and literature have accompanied him ever since. He was mainly inspired by works by Gerhard Richter, Todd Williamson, Harry Moody and Larry Poons. Zef Rabe works and lives with his family in Hamburg, Germany. Today Zef Rabe expresses his view of the world with his abstract works in oil on canvas in squeegee technique.