"Manfred Henkel - From spot to spot and through the outer skin of things" is an intensive and emotional portrait of German artist Manfred Henkel (1937-1984) who came to fame in the 1980s in Berlin and whose huge wall paintings all over the city can still be seen as precursors to “ Street Art” that became in vogue some decades later.

The film focusses on the most important periods and major steps in Henkel's personal and professional life. It includes his life long philosophy and spiritual approach that is reflected in his unique work throughout the years.

Although the artist died more than 40 years ago, his paintings are timeless, revealing hidden messages and explosive sensations behind its layers of paint that the spectator is invited to identify, step by step, by watching the film.

I really appreciated learning about such an interesting period in German art and having the opportunity to study in detail the work of the artist.

My preference is for the smaller pictures that he produced following his fall in 1977, rather than the big canvases that preceded it; having said that, his use of red and green is a constant theme, and gives the works a vibrancy that I failed to see in his white paintings.

Perhaps my favourite pieces were the panels that he made for the ‘Am Seggeluchbecken’ church, and the ceramic murals at the Tempelhof and Tegel airports.

Altogether, a pleasure to watch!

Written, Produced and Directed by

Antje Dohrn

Cinematographer, Film Editing, Color Grading, Sound Re-Recording

Thorsten Pengel