Matthias Alexander Kristian Zimmermann (* 6 May 1981 in Basel) is a writer, painter and new media artist from Switzerland.
Biography Matthias A. K. Zimmermann was born in Basel and grew up in the canton of Aargau. He studied music/composition at the University of Arts Berne, fine art at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, game design and art education at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and didactics/pedagogy at the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET). His artistic work has found a reception in international exhibitions as well as in scientific and essayistic texts. Zimmermann's artworks are in collections of various museums.Page 312 (Chapter: The artist) in: Natascha Adamowsky (Hrsg.): Digitale Moderne. Die Modellwelten von Matthias Zimmermann. Hirmer Publishers, Munich 2018, . His debut novel, CRYONIUM, has been published by Kulturverlag Kadmos (Kadmos Publisher).German National Library – Matthias A. K. Zimmermann, Writer, Novel
Work Literary work Literary Concept and Connection to His Own Art Zimmermann’s fictional worlds emerge from the concepts underlying his modular image compositions. His narratives likewise follow a modular, building-block principle. Palindromes, numeric sequences, anagrams, and codes form the formal building blocks.Trapped in Infinite Virtuality – Review, Aargauer Zeitung Time travel and spatial configurations, as well as the themes of transience and infinity, are among the variable components of his narrative system.How Literature Can Recall, Create, and Re-Map Virtual Spaces – Review, Berliner Gazette The book covers he designs incorporate motifs from his paintings, which in turn appear within the narrative. The writing process can take up to ten years, as Zimmermann constructs his fictional worlds with the intricate precision of a clockwork.Imitathyos – Matthias A.K. Zimmermann – Radio interview, Kanal K: Nosenoise-Literature
Novels (in German) KRYONIUM. Die Experimente der Erinnerung. Novel. First publication: Kulturverlag Kadmos, Berlin 2019. New edition: Edition Modellwelten / BoD, Hamburg 2025, ISBN 978-3-8192-8019-1 INTOXIKATION. Chemie der Illusionen. Psychological thriller. (Authors: Matthias A. K. Zimmermann, Kristina Schippling). First publication: Kulturverlag Kadmos, Berlin 2024. New edition: Edition Modellwelten / BoD, Hamburg 2025, ISBN 978-3-8192-4779-8 IMITATHYOS. Das unendliche Alphabet. Novel. Edition Modellwelten / BoD, Hamburg 2024, ISBN 978-3-8370-6776-7 YOGAMINO. Im Zickzack der Zeit und Ruckzuck der Räume. Novel. Edition Modellwelten / BoD, Hamburg 2026, ISBN 978-3-6957-4228-8
Artistic work Content, concept and execution Zimmermann's artistic works, which he refers to as "Model Worlds", contain a smorgasbord of visual languages borrowed from digital space, the vocabulary of different cultures, and the history of art, design, and media. Computer game elements, source codes, japanese gardens, Buddhist symbolism, and icon paintings from the Middle Ages can be found predominantly. The pictorial motifs show landscapes in varying degrees of abstraction. This ranges from photorealistic, clearly recognizable places to spatial entities. The pictorial motifs convey both cheerful and gloomy atmospheres that paraphrase utopian and dystopian scenarios. The staging of the pictorial space using things from different times and places illustrates the simultaneity of virtual distance resolution. The geometric frameworks of the pictorial contents result from the most Miscellaneous perspectives and spatial representations. Each picture is based on a system that is constructed like a construction kit or puzzle and illustrates the playful concept of modularity – the variable combination, transformation, and ever new composition. The "Model Worlds" are designed as paintings on canvas or digitally constructed on the computer and implemented as Diasec. Each painting is preceded by meticulous sketch studies that last for months or years. Zimmermann's creative process reflects the interface of the analog and digital. His painting technique adapts the aesthetics of computer images, whereas his digitally created pictures mostly refer to motifs of classical painting.Page 354 – 259 (Chapter: Creation process) in: Natascha Adamowsky (Hrsg.): Digitale Moderne. Die Modellwelten von Matthias Zimmermann. Hirmer Publishers, Munich 2018, .Page 74, 75 (Chapter: Model Worlds) in: Natascha Adamowsky (Hrsg.): Digitale Moderne. Die Modellwelten von Matthias Zimmermann. Hirmer Publishers, Munich 2018, .
Artistic Research The art book Digital Modernity (Hirmer Publishers), published in 2018, discusses Zimmermann's work primarily under the aspect of artistic research. By combining elements of aesthetic mediation with those of the knowledge system, new epistemological spaces are opened up for the reception of art. The "Model Worlds" form a topology through space and time, research in the history of art, design and media, and point out technical connections.Page 22 – 27 (Chapter: Digital Modernity) in: Natascha Adamowsky (Hrsg.): Digitale Moderne. Die Modellwelten von Matthias Zimmermann. Hirmer Publishers, Munich 2018, . The series of pictures, The Space Machine, layers the picture content in six levels – energy, hardware, binary code, 3D graphics software, game world (electronic visual display), source codes – and illustrates the construction of digital worlds. Among other things, the source codes shown have the function of source references.Page 129 – 131 (Chapter: The Space Machine) in: Natascha Adamowsky (Hrsg.): Digitale Moderne. Die Modellwelten von Matthias Zimmermann. Hirmer Publishers, Munich 2018, .
Museums Exhibitions Museum of Art Aarau, Switzerland: Selection 11, 2011 Art Museum of Lucerne, Switzerland: Annual Exhibition, 2011 Computer Games Museum Berlin, Germany: Model Worlds – Pictures by Matthias Zimmermann, 2013Press release, Computer Games Museum Berlin – direct link Computer Games Museum Berlin/Institution of Digital Culture, Germany: Supersample – Pixels at an Exhibition, 2015Artists, Supersample – Pixels at an Exhibition, 2015 – direct link Museet for Religiøs Kunst, Denmark: Vokseværk, 2015 St. Anne's Museum Quarter, Lübeck/Landeshaus Kiel, Germany: KunSt aktuell im LandesHaus, 2015 Ludwig Museum of Art, Germany: Matthias Zimmermann – From Videogame towards the Apocalypse, 2016Ludwig Museum: Matthias Zimmermann – Vom Video Game zur Apokalypse Ludwig Museum of Art, Germany: The Known and the Unknown, 2019Ludwig Museum: The Known and the Unknown Museum of Art Aarau, Switzerland: Selection 19, 2019
Inventory Artwork by Matthias A. K. Zimmermann are in the permanent collection of the following museums and cultural institutions
Technisches Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria Odysseum – Science Center, Germany Ludwig Museum of Art, Germany Museum of Art Aarau, Switzerland Buchheim Museum of Fantasy, Germany Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, USA MoFA – Florida State University / Museum of Fine Arts, USA St. Anne's Museum Quarter, Lübeck, Germany Museum für Kommunikation Frankfurt, Germany Museum of Art Göppingen, Germany Computer Museum Kiel, Germany Computer Games Museum Berlin, Germany Toy Museum, Germany Museum of Contemporary Art – Collection Hurrle, Germany Museet for Religiøs Kunst, Denmark Department of Music, University of InnsbruckMusic and images – Database, Department of Music, University of Innsbruck
Literature Natascha Adamowsky (ed.): Digital Modernity. The Model Worlds by Matthias Zimmermann. Hirmer Publishers, Munich 2018, Hirmer Publishers Mark R. Hesslinger / Beate Reifenscheid (ed.): Reality and the Divine – From the Deutschherrenhaus to the Ludwig Museum 1216 – 2016, Ludwig Museum, Koblenz 2016, Christian Huberts, Sebastian Standke (Hrsg.): Between|Worlds: Atmospheres in the Computer Game. Werner Hülsbusch, Glückstadt 2014, Dagmar Fenner (Hrsg.): What can and may art do? An ethical outline. Campus Publishers, Frankfurt a. M. 2013,
Publications about Matthias A. K. Zimmermann (selection) ARD (broadcaster)/Reload, Television publication: Video game art, 7 October 2014Reload: „Videospielekunst“, ARD, Einsplus, 7 October 2014 – direct link ) University of Heidelberg/Publicationsplattform Art History, René Stettler: Various scientific essays.Universität Heidelberg/Publikationsplattform Kunstgeschichte, René Stettler: Miscellaneous wissenschaftliche Essays. Berliner Gazette – Culture, Politics and Digital: Various authors.Matthias A. K. Zimmermann, Berliner Gazette Language at Play – Scientific magazine, Christian Huberts: The re-medialization of procedural atmosphere into static paintingsLanguage at Play – Wissenschaftsmagazin, Christian Huberts: Die Remedialisierung prozeduraler Atmosphäre zu statischen Gemälden Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Gerhard Mack: Digital world – painters use virtual space Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Gerhard Mack: Digitale Welt – Maler nutzen den virtuellen Raum Basler Zeitung, Graziella Kuhn: Pixel auf LeinwandBasler Zeitung, Graziella Kuhn: Pixel auf Leinwand Luzerner Zeitung, Urs Bugmann: A World of Extreme ArtificialityNeue Luzerner Zeitung, Urs Bugmann: Eine Welt in extremer Künstlichkeit Luzerner Zeitung, Urs Bugmann: Pictures, perfect like from the computer gameNeue Luzerner Zeitung, Urs Bugmann: Bilder, perfekt wie aus dem Computerspiel 20 Minuten, Jan Graber: When "Mario" and "Tetris" are hanging in the museum20 Minuten, Jan Graber: Wenn «Mario» und «Tetris» im Museum hängen Winzavod, Moscow: «Модельные миры»_Маттиас ЦиммерманнWinzavod, Moscow: «Модельные миры»_Маттиас Циммерманн The Village, Moscow: В галерее «11.12» открывается выставка Маттиаса ЦиммерманаThe Village, Moscow: В галерее «11.12» открывается выставка Маттиаса Циммермана Swiss Embassy in Moscow: Moscow. Matthias Zimmermann at WinzavodSchweizer Botschaft in Moskau: Moscow. Matthias Zimmermann at Winzavod EA Blog for digital game culture, Martin Lorber: Game Art – Art and digital games: The space machine by Matthias A. K. Zimmermann EA Blog für digitale Spielkultur, Martin Lorber: Game Art – Kunst und digitale Spiele: Die Raummaschine von Matthias A. K. Zimmermann GamesArt, Davis Schrapel: Miscellaneous articles GamesArt, Davis Schrapel: Miscellaneous Artikel
References
External links
DLA – German Literature Archive: Matthias A. K. Zimmermann documenta archiv, Kassel: Matthias A. K. Zimmermann artlog.net: Matthias A. K. Zimmermann Institute for Musicology at the University of Innsbruck. Music after pictures. Composer database: Matthias A. K. Zimmermann arthistoricum.net: ART-Dok, Publication platform for art and visual sciences. University of Heidelberg, Matthias A. K. Zimmermann 2012 arthistoricum.net: ART-Dok, Publication platform for art and visual sciences. University of Heidelberg, Matthias A. K. Zimmermann, 2014 OPAC. Institute for Modern Art Nuremberg: Matthias A. K. Zimmermann European-art.net: Matthias A. K. Zimmermann