Jürgen Partenheimer is a German contemporary artist renowned for his diverse body of work that encompasses painting, sculpture, drawing, and printmaking. In art literature, the work of the German Jürgen Partenheimer (°1947, Munich) is traditionally considered to belong in postminimalism or conceptual abstract art. [4]
Partenheimer's art is characterized by its deep philosophical underpinnings and poetic sensibility. His work often explores themes related to human existence, spirituality, and the nature of reality.

Jan Hoet:

«Reality is a veiled and elusive thing. The only way to grasp it is by thinking. This thinking results, on the one hand, in concepts with which the tangible reality can be constructed and made accessible. On the other hand there will always be elements that are not amenable to pure reason and can only be made visible by means of art. Partenheimer’s work should be seen as the result of a long and consistent stream of thought by which means the artist intends not so much to reveal a particular reality, but rather to make clear the reflections linked to ‘being’ in this reality» [4].

Partenheimer could be described as a cartographer of imaginary worlds: he creates a universe in which the work of art becomes legible as a sign and event within a metaphysical, spiritual reality. For Partenheimer, abstract art is not self-referential, but opens up the possibility of transforming the movement of thought into a visible form. This unique approach was defined by the artist as 'metaphysical realism'.[6]

Beyond his artistic practice, Partenheimer is also a respected writer, further emphasizing the deep connection between language and visual expression in his work. Since the early eightiess Partenheimer used the artists' book as a mode of artistic expression.

Jürgen Partenheimer, Folded Spirits, 2012

The artists' book Folded Spirits, which contains Partenheimer’s images and poems by Mashile, is described by Partenheimer as “a condensed reflection of [his] time in South Africa…created as an interior monologue,
which turned to a dialogue, which turned into a polyphonic concurrency, an artistic conversion of text and image into an impartial overall visual perception.”

The titles of the poems have been discarded for use in the book, allowing the texts to flow freely from one to another, and to weave in between and through the images to which they relate. The successful choreography of each page allows the reader access to the imaginary dialogue between two countries, and the existential, formative experiences shared between two artists.

Partenheimer’s diaries are encounters with otherness and cultural
difference. Experiencing and questioning one’s estrangement in a
foreign environment while accepting the unknown characterises the
artist’s fundamental attitude. Language, particularly poetry, plays a
key role in his work. The »South African Diary« is the result of an
exchange on South African poetry with writer Lebogang Mashile. The
dialogue with Mashile, whose own poetry opens a window to the
country’s soul, allowed the foreign artist to gain insight into the local
culture.
During his three-month stay in South Africa, Partenheimer developed
his southafrican diary in involvement of Mashile’s lyrical and
allegorical language [5].

Artists' books