Ralf Odermann…
…is a self-taught painter living and working in Bochum, Germany.
He doesn‘t define himself in a specific style. His art is based on three pillars:
One is more or less traditional portraits of pop cultural icons, mostly musicians.
Then there are abstract portraits and landscape paintings that are defined by a bold use of colour and strong brushstrokes and are actually created during the process of painting.
The last and latest pillar is expressionism, again in both portrait and landscape work.
Ralf Odermann immerses himself in the solitary world of his studio and the canvas, intuitively exploring light and shadow, form and texture, building layers of acrylic paint and charcoal, at best resulting in a visceral portrayal of the urban or human experience.


He has never attended art school and only studied graphic design for a very short while. Another passion has always prevailed: deejaying. In his hometown he’s been well known as a DJ and club owner since the mid eighties.
Of course, like any self-respecting artist he’s already scribbled on everything he could get hold of as a kid. Later, as a young man, he designed quite a few album covers and posters for local bands and record labels and of course he was responsible for all the flyers in the clubs he worked at.
And yet Ralf Odermann’s serious involvement with art began only relatively recently, in 2016, in the form of digital drawings with Apple Pencil or even a finger on iPad. To his own astonishment and delight this lead to several successful exhibitions.
In 2020, during the period of pandemic restrictions, he discovered his new love for acrylic paints, brushes and canvases.