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The young man who changed the way we see sand.
As children, have you ever played with sand, made castles or written your names on it? We did, and we know one thing for sure: all this can be considered as a kind of artwork that does not last forever.

Wind, sea water, people will destroy it and what you will be left with is just a pile of wet sand... unless you are Tim Bengel. Tim is a twenty-five year old German boy who has ensured that his sand paintings are never destroyed, but remain there in time, glued to a canvas embellished with small golden sheets. He thus manages to create true works of art capable of leaving the viewer open-mouthed, and to wonder how this young artist, described as the magician of sand, managed to create such marvels.

White sand, black sand, gold foil and glue: these are the four elements that make him unique.

But why did he decide to use this type of material? Couldn't he directly use a pen or a felt-tip pen to create? Oh no! Art for him represents something for which one has to think differently, to think outside the box without setting limits, in order to express oneself and be one of a kind, without having to imitate anyone, but by having someone inspire you, as so many people do now with Andy Warhol, the American artist of the Pop Art movement whom the young Bengel esteems and admires.

His career was started by simple videos posted on social networks, short but so effective that they captured the attention of thousands of people, amazed that such a seemingly simple technique and simple material could create such new and original works, which remain a mystery until the artist lifts the canvas, revealing his work to everyone by sliding away the excessive sand.

Each canvas proves to be different from the other, but there is one thing they have in common, apart from the author: a great passion, creativity, time, precision and a lot of willpower.

Every word Bengel spent on his work in front of our microphones is full of emotion, accompanied by a twinkle in his eyes, which allowed us to understand how special the bond he has with his ‘children’ is.

“Every work is a kind of baby and you can’t choose your favourite baby”  - TIM BENGEL 

Although a few preferences came out of his mouth... in fact, he admitted that ‘Floral Freedom’ has a special place in his heart; a picture that is immediately striking, in which the details are so perfectly executed that they look like paintings and the ornaments, in gold foil, further enhance the elegance of the work.

His work is on display at the Florence Biennale 2017, an exhibition of contemporary art during which he will be awarded the Special President's Prize and where he will unveil his latest, as yet unpublished work dedicated to Italy. Moreover, another of his favourite works is the one depicting New York ‘My American Dream’, the largest work he has ever composed, so far, and also one of the most elaborate he has ever devoted for almost four months... and well, you can say that the results of all these efforts have been seen, can't they?

‘Dreaming big!’

It is with this phrase that Bengel invites young artists to come out, get involved, dream big and never give up.

Who knows.... maybe the next artist to invent something innovative in the art world could be you!

Aurora Bacchi
Soemi Turini
Liceo Scientifico e Linguistico Santa Marta, Florence