When it comes to his own person, Andreas Stern avoids showmanship like the devil avoids holy water. The Styrian decorative artist only wants to attract attention with his meaningful work. Born in Feldbach, he learned the art of floristry in the late 1990s and was the only male apprentice far and wide at the time - and soon became a rising star on the international decoration scene.

He won several apprentice competitions, was runner-up in the European championships and set up his own business after passing his master craftsman's examination. His floral creations quickly gained a worldwide reputation and some of his clients are world-famous. When asked about this, the almost shy-looking Styrian shrugs. "I don't define myself by famous names and VIPs, because this intimate collaboration and intensive engagement with the clients is about their personal stories."

But he reveals this much: his work has already taken him to aristocratic homes and magnificent seaside villas, to the Life Ball in Vienna and the Flower Ball in Moscow, to the Pope's visit or to weddings in Las Vegas. For those who can and want to afford the sprawling pool of ideas, the Styrian delivers a floral world with a wow effect. "Empty stages appeal to me, they awaken my desire to create, based on my knowledge of how to change moods and create emotions."

In a network that has grown over the years, the decorative artist also acts as an art mediator, often working with art galleries and regularly with the Nitsch Foundation, which manages Hermann Nitsch's estate. Andreas Stern got to know the performance artist personally - and is now presenting works from his extensive oeuvre on bare concrete walls and scaffolding in his workshop in the Kugelmühle in Mühldorf. "You can feel the force and the full power that fills the space and I believe that the spark will also be passed on to the exhibition visitors."

Among the masterpieces is the "Valkyrie" stage design, which Hermann Nitsch created live to the music of Richard Wagner in Bayreuth. The 38 works of art on display represent the entire creative period of the master of provocation. "It's only because of me that Nitsch has left the holy places and moved into the former Kugelmühle industrial hall," the creative mind admits open-heartedly, referring to his experience in procuring artworks worth millions. "The insurance value alone is in the tens of millions. I would prefer to stay with these Nitsch works day and night. Not to guard them, but to feel the enormous power and harmony."

Visitors can explore this power daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until August 11.

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