David Gerstein’s Exotic Birds Paradise is a three-dimensional wall sculpture that transports the viewer into a colorful, vibrant world of tropical birds. The work consists of several metal layers mounted on top of each other, which together form a sculptural, spatially effective composition. At the center is a dense network of white, branching tree trunks and lush green leaves, which form the habitat for a variety of colorful birds. Each bird figure is individually crafted, with characteristic patterns, dots, and lines executed in bright colors such as turquoise, violet, orange, red, and yellow. Despite their stylized forms, the figures radiate dynamism, movement, and personality. Some birds seem to be landing or taking flight, while others peer curiously out from the foliage—a composition that celebrates liveliness and natural diversity. The hand-painted surface expresses Gerstein’s signature synthesis of painting and sculpture. The overlapping metal elements create a depth that constantly produces new shadows and plays of color as the light changes. The work changes subtly with the viewer’s movement, making it appear almost animated. Thematically, Gerstein takes up his recurring motif of nature in motion in Exotic Birds Paradise—a symbol of joie de vivre, freedom, and diversity. Known for his colorful, humorous, and optimistic works, the artist combines pop art elements with an organic, almost dance-like lightness. Overall, Exotic Birds Paradise embodies an ode to life: a vibrant interplay of form, color, and rhythm that inevitably captivates the viewer and infuses any space with an atmosphere of energy and positivity.

Tropical Birds in art

Since the earliest evidence of human creativity, birds have been a central motif in art—symbols of the connection between heaven and earth, of freedom, spirit, and soul. Their ability to fly made them messengers between the earthly and divine worlds in almost all cultures, symbols of the longing for transcendence and spiritual elevation. Even in Egyptian art, birds were considered the embodiment of the soul. The so-called Ba bird, often depicted with a human head, symbolized the part of a person that lives on after death and ascends to the heavenly spheres. Birds also played an important role in Greco-Roman antiquity: the eagle stood for Zeus and divine power, the dove for Aphrodite and love. Thus, birds were associated with the idea of the divine, the supernatural, and the unfettered spirit.

In medieval Christian art, this symbolism was transformed into allegorical signs of faith. The dove embodied the Holy Spirit and purity, the peacock immortality and divine omnipresence, while the raven served as a warning against sin and transience. In the refined, naturalistic depictions of the Renaissance, birds ultimately also became an expression of the beauty and harmony of creation – proof of the divine order in nature. In the Baroque and Rococo periods, they took on a variety of roles: in sumptuous still lifes, exotic species such as parrots and peacocks stood for luxury, exoticism, and worldliness, while dead birds in vanitas depictions served as reminders of the fragility of all life.

With the advent of Romanticism, birds became the epitome of freedom, longing, and inner elevation. Artists such as Caspar David Friedrich saw them as symbols of a soul striving for infinity.

In modern art, the motif took on a new, personal meaning: Picasso’s dove became a universal symbol of peace, Paul Klee and Joan Miró let the music and lightness of life resound in their imaginative, flying creatures, and Max Ernst created a surreal figure of the creative self with his bird “alter ego” Loplop.

In contemporary art, the bird undergoes a further transformation—away from a pure symbol to an expression of life energy, individuality, and diversity. In David Gerstein’s work, for example, birds become the protagonists of a colorful cosmos dominated by movement, lightness, and joy. His works celebrate life itself: the diversity of the world, the beauty of the moment, and the freedom of artistic expression. Hunt Slonem, who is also featured in our program, frequently uses tropical birds in his artwork.Thus, in art history, the bird remains one of the strongest and most enduring symbols of human imagination—it embodies what art has always sought to achieve: to transcend the earthly and make the invisible visible

David Gerstein – Master of multilayer sculptures

In David Gerstein’s multi-layered works of art, the boundary between the two-dimensionality of painting and the three-dimensionality of sculpture becomes blurred. The works of David Gerstein captivate above all by their lively colorfulness. Most often, the human being in motion is found as the central theme of his sculptures and objects and as a point of departure. Tourists on 5th Avenue, marathon runners, bicyclists, roller coasters or dancing butterflies make the viewer virtually swing along. Meanwhile, the steel sculptures are cut out using laser technology. To ensure that the sculptures give pleasure for a long time, especially in the outdoor area, they are painted with Standohyd Plus a special varnish recommended for automotive repairs from the Standox company in Germany. Countless details that allow the subject to explore and explore again and again round out his objects, which in recent years have experienced a solid price development.