Daniel Kossmann

CV

Art

SciComm

I’m a

painter, poet and photographer,

a writer, researcher and science communicator.

Born in Bühl and raised in Baden-Baden, I lived, worked and studied in Berlin, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kigali.

As a scholar, I am not only interested in the production of academic knowledge, but also in how it can best be shared and disseminated, namely in science communication.

As a photographer, I primarily deal with public space, whether through street or architectural photography or through conceptual documentary series.

As a painter and poet, I explore the ambiguities of existence between inner and outer worlds.

I live, I love, I trust

life.

Education

International Curatorial Program
Node Center for Curatorial Studies
2025–ongoing

Dr. phil. African Studies
Humboldt University of Berlin
2021–ongoing

M.A. African Studies
Humboldt University of Berlin
2016–2020

B.A. African Studies
Humboldt University of Berlin
2012–2016

Artistic Statement

I am a multidisciplinary artist based in Berlin, working primarily in painting and photography, and additionally in poetry. I have lived, worked and studied in Baden-Baden, Berlin, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kigali. I am best known for emotionally driven mixed-media paintings and photographic work that examines public space. My practice encompasses semi-abstract, and abstract painting, alongside digital photography developed through a consciously reduced technical setup that emphasizes immediacy and attentiveness to lived environments.

My work is characterized by an exploration of emotional states and the existential ambiguities between the inner and outer world. Painting functions as a therapeutic and reflective process through which personal emotions, trauma, and lived experiences are translated into visual form, with a recurring interest in disintegration, fragility, and repair. I frequently employ mixed media—including oil pastels, acrylics, charcoal, watercolors, recycled posters, yarn, graffiti markers, and spray paint—often applied to fragile surfaces such as paper and cardboard that are cut, stitched, and reassembled. In my photographic practice, I investigate public space, social distance, and the visibility or suppression of public discourse.

I have presented my work in solo and group contexts, including my first solo exhibition in 2025 at Café Lulo in Berlin-Neukölln. I have participated in artistic exchanges and workshops in Berlin as well as in Dar es Salaam. My works are held in private collections, and I continue to develop an interdisciplinary practice that integrates painting, photography and writing as interconnected forms of emotional and artistic research.

Solo Exhibitions

Disintegration
Café Lulo Berlin
2025–2026

Group Exhibitions

Last Image Show
Alliance Française Lusaka
curated by Gadi Ramadhani & Emergent Art Space
2019

Last Image Show
Alliance Française Dar es Salaam
curated by Gadi Ramadhani & Emergent Art Space
2018

junge Welt “Blende 2014”
jW shop gallery Berlin
exhibition as part of a photo competition
2014

Academic Publications

Journalistic Publications