Peter Bauhuis

Goldsmith

©Mirei Takeuchi

©StudioPeterBauhuis

An investigative approach

Peter has always enjoyed making, inventing and investigating
Researching and experimenting with metals is an essential part of his work
He is showcased in exhibitions worldwide and has received numerous awards

Peter Bauhuis takes a thieving delight in breaking with craft traditions in his work, questioning our visual habits with subtle humour. With a family background of several generations of watch makers, the environment of a workshop has always been both familiar and important to the Munich-based jewellery maker and metal sculptor. “Following an apprenticeship as a jeweller at the Hanau Zeichenakademie was a very good training to optimise my technical skills. But it took the further step of studying at the Munich Art Academy to get where I wanted to go,” he explains. Today his work includes jewellery, equipment, objects, installations, films and several books. By linking and interconnecting different approaches, he arrives at a multi-layered body of work that expresses his artistic curiosity.

Interview

©StudioPeterBauhuis

©StudioPeterBauhuis

How would you define what you do?: I investigate beauty and human behaviour. How we see art, how we react, the role of objects and their stories in perceiving the world... My work consists of jewellery and objects, but I also see my exhibitions and publications as autonomous works of art.
What are your sources of inspiration?: Anything can be an inspiration. It can be art or natural museums, music, walking in cities or in the mountains. It can be something that I find in newspapers or the internet, the work of other artists, books, nature or culture. And then, during the making process, new ideas keep arising.
How do you set about creating your works?: Almost all of my work is metal cast using the lost wax technique. In casting, the archaic nature of working with liquid metal is appealing. But it is also the preliminary work in wax that allows a rapidity and directness that cannot be achieved when working directly in metal.
Do you consider your craft endangered?: I think there will always be a demand for metalwork but it's important to be curious and innovate to ensure the craft moves with contemporary times.

Peter Bauhuis is a master artisan: he began his career in 1991 and he started teaching in 2003