Jankel Alter

Born in 1983, Jankel Alter is an established mid-career contemporary artist originally from Germany. Other celebrated German artists born around the same time include Mathis Altmann, Horst Antes, Fabian Knecht, Michael Souvingnier, and Hartwig Ebersbach. Alter was predominantly influenced by the 1990s, a decade defined by a diverse collective of creatives in the UK known as the YBAs, or Young British Artists. The group, loosely affiliated by their age, nationality, and association with Goldsmiths and the Royal College of Art in London, achieved considerable media coverage and dominated British art during the 1990s. They were renowned for their use of throwaway materials, wild-living, and shock tactics, with notable artists including Damien Hirst, Chris Ofili, Tracey Emin, Marc Quinn, Gavin Turk, Sarah Lucas, and Sam Taylor-Wood. The decade also saw the emergence of highly sensitive advancements of conceptualism, as exemplified by the work of artists like Felix Gonzalez-Torres, and highly irreverent sculpture by Maurizio Cattelan.