PAUL WOODS aka PARADOX PAUL
I grew up in London, midway between the Houses of Parliament where my dad once worked, and the Elephant and Castle where I was once mugged. For over twenty years I lived in Berlin where I became an artist, and in Zurich where I became a husband. Now I'm back in the UK, where I recently became a father, and where I started out long ago as an architectural model-maker. After that I worked as a mount-maker for art collections and museums, a special-effects technician for film and tv, a prototypes engineer, a murals painter, a market researcher, a safari jeep driver, a coffee-machine repairman, a video-cassette packer, a runner for a garage, a wine salesman, a barman, a gardener, a waiter, a washer-upper and a white van driver. Oh, and I volunteered for a while at a donkey sanctuary. As far as earning a living is concerned I'm as clueless now as I was when I left school. None of the above made me happy.
Making art makes me happy.
Paradox Paul, 2020
Making art makes me happy.
Paradox Paul, 2020
OTHERS ON P.P.
"PP is tall and intense."
Einar Stenseng, Oslo
"Paradox Paul fights for the controllability of the world for each individual and for the preservation of reason in general. He has preserved the old and gently shaped the new. He acts selflessly and fights against the propaganda of religious mania and inhuman capitalism. As an artist he demonstrates that freedom is built on fearlessness and reveals itself particularly in the fight with illegitimate structures of domination."
Markus Milde, Berlin
"As a naked man in Wallywoods, Paradox Paul always made me feel welcome. I will be eternally grateful."
Adrian Shephard, Berlin
"A passion for testing the surroundings very clearly goes through Paradox Paul's work. A struggle to build and destroy, to die and to start all over, is in everything he does. He is truly looking for a clean white perfect moment."
Geffen Miron, Tel Aviv
"Paradox Paul appartient à Berlin, là, juste là , dans cet intrigant passage où Zürich n'est pas Londres."
Margot Charby, Berlin
"His talents are innumerable. He thinks big, but most of all he thinks outside the box."
Bob King, Berlin
"Lui è un cazzo di genio!" - Luigi Pescatore (pagliaccio con Pesce in Pelle)
Ken Shakin, Berlin
"Bevor ich Paradox Paul kennen und schätzen lernte, wurde ich vor ihm gewarnt. Wir (LO FI HIGH) sollten im Wallywoods in Weissensee spielen. Ein Freund warnte uns das wenn PP unsere Musik langweilig finden würde, könnte es passieren das er "dazwischen geht" sprich anfängt seinem Missfallen freien Lauf zu lassen. Dies passierte zum Glück nicht und ich spielte mehrere Male mit verschiedenen Projekten an erwarten Abenden die PP in Weissensee und anderswo in Berlin veranstaltete. Es waren jedesmal bunte Abende die das erfüllten was ich mir von guten Veranstaltungen erhoffe: "Man weiß nie was als nächstes passiert." Was soll ich sagen? Paradox Paul ist ein Überzeugungstäter. Man weiß einfach instinktiv, egal was passiert, er wird weitermachen weil es für ihn keine Alternativen gibt. Er ist was er macht. Was kann man mehr?"
Sascha Alexander Plein, Berlin
"I've known PP a long time. He is an artist who possesses an incredible amount of positive energy and is capable of focusing that energy to consistently create new works of art. He is not afraid of new endeavors and is constantly pushing his comfort zone. His projects are always interesting, and rarely similar."
Keeley Brineman, Berlin
"Paradox Paul doesn't believe in god, and I like that, and thus, him."
Brainard Carey, New York
"Paradox Paul is a gentleman and a scholar who truly lives with passion and purpose for his art. In a recent work he has taken to wearing a bucket on his head, an understandable response to modern life."
James Harris, London
"Paradox Paul puts the rad, the do, the ox and the para into Paradox."
Alistair Noon, Berlin
"Whenever I see a certain kind of chair I have to think of PP and his Big Chairs project. This guy has really left some traces in Berlin and in my mind. I am proud to own one real chair built by PP, although he sold it to me much too cheap. (Money matters, Paradox Paul!)"
Helge der Hinterhofdichter, Berlin
"I remember PP aka Wally from his wonderful wacky Wallywoods world, the crazy experimental laboratory in Berlin. He was willing to take chances. I think of him as the mad creative scientist who somehow got sent to Zurich for special treatment, to be experimented on in underground research labs below the surface of the city. He is now locked in a dark room located somewhere far below, in a dark underground labyrinth. Only those with the key can locate him..."
Robert Carrithers, Prague
"Paradox Paul ist ein Künstler der trotz Frustrationen und Enttäuschungen sich nach jeden Tief wieder in ein kreatives Hoch katapultiert. He never gives up. Dafür gebührt ihm unser Respekt."
Tibor Foeldes & Marianne Mettler, Zurich
"A few words on the galleries in Kopisch Strasse and Weissensee.
Light in the darkness of those winter nights early that year. Birthday party for Paradox Paul. A good friend, gifted photographer himself, suggested attending the experimental space of the gallery where PP and the Ugly Americans had there own way with pianos, wall space and art. Readings - even Sophia in her early days spread words, and so did I between the Big Chairs. Driven out of the building - the space is still vacant - PP moved to Kulturhaus Peter Edel, into the desert of Weissensee, where he provided life between the ghostly rocks, pianos growing between the never ending tales on the walls."
Amanda Sabine Strauch, Berlin
"I met Paradox Paul at a show he was hosting in Berlin in 2007. There was a nice line up of acts and I had a really good set. He then invited me to play at an event at Gallery Wallywoods. The place was great, full of crazy art and painted, wrecked pianos. The night was one of those magic gatherings where people connect; it lead to shows for me in Vienna, and to setting up gigs here in Amsterdam for some of the acts I met. You can tell Paul has been around from the very early days in Berlin. He still has the attitude and dedication to art above trendiness. Wallywoods was in Weissensee, not the hippest of areas in Berlin, yet he fought tooth and nail with the council to keep it running. He also has the scariest stare on the planet: you listen when he talks. I write satirical songs, often ways of dealing with failures, rebukes or insults. He pointed out to me once that these songs work best when it's clear the singer has got over the initial obsession and is truly laughing - at the time I hadn't, something he sussed straight away. I remember he was concerned with the issue of the 'Islamification' of parts of London, and that surprised me. Touchy subject. These days he hangs out in Zurich working on something called 'Bucket Bloke'. I couldn't help wondering if has burkha envy."
Ken Parsons, Amsterdam
"Obstinately optimistic, PP cast an electric mix of acts onto his chair-ful underground Berlin stages. Now he pushes back boundaries in Switzerland. Right up to the mountaintops and back."
Alan Layton, Berlin
"The chair man, the man of a million chairs, the big chair in the sky..."
Thomas Zöltsch, Berlin
"A short line about Paradox Paul? Sorry, I had an idea, but forgot it again. It was something about our first meeting. He came to my place, to Perla-Mode, and asked if he could bring a piano to destroy. I thought, this is a crazy guy, this is quite mad."
Esther Eppstein, Tel Aviv
"A good initial report for young Paul. I am delighted to sign it. Now Paul must look to his future. We have produced one opportunity which he has discarded. In the very near future Paul must realise that he is blessed with an intelligence higher than most and cursed with an even greater shyness. If Paul does not screw up his courage and realise his great potential this country will be the poorer for his loss."
Headmaster, Aspen House (special needs school), London, 1979
Einar Stenseng, Oslo
"Paradox Paul fights for the controllability of the world for each individual and for the preservation of reason in general. He has preserved the old and gently shaped the new. He acts selflessly and fights against the propaganda of religious mania and inhuman capitalism. As an artist he demonstrates that freedom is built on fearlessness and reveals itself particularly in the fight with illegitimate structures of domination."
Markus Milde, Berlin
"As a naked man in Wallywoods, Paradox Paul always made me feel welcome. I will be eternally grateful."
Adrian Shephard, Berlin
"A passion for testing the surroundings very clearly goes through Paradox Paul's work. A struggle to build and destroy, to die and to start all over, is in everything he does. He is truly looking for a clean white perfect moment."
Geffen Miron, Tel Aviv
"Paradox Paul appartient à Berlin, là, juste là , dans cet intrigant passage où Zürich n'est pas Londres."
Margot Charby, Berlin
"His talents are innumerable. He thinks big, but most of all he thinks outside the box."
Bob King, Berlin
"Lui è un cazzo di genio!" - Luigi Pescatore (pagliaccio con Pesce in Pelle)
Ken Shakin, Berlin
"Bevor ich Paradox Paul kennen und schätzen lernte, wurde ich vor ihm gewarnt. Wir (LO FI HIGH) sollten im Wallywoods in Weissensee spielen. Ein Freund warnte uns das wenn PP unsere Musik langweilig finden würde, könnte es passieren das er "dazwischen geht" sprich anfängt seinem Missfallen freien Lauf zu lassen. Dies passierte zum Glück nicht und ich spielte mehrere Male mit verschiedenen Projekten an erwarten Abenden die PP in Weissensee und anderswo in Berlin veranstaltete. Es waren jedesmal bunte Abende die das erfüllten was ich mir von guten Veranstaltungen erhoffe: "Man weiß nie was als nächstes passiert." Was soll ich sagen? Paradox Paul ist ein Überzeugungstäter. Man weiß einfach instinktiv, egal was passiert, er wird weitermachen weil es für ihn keine Alternativen gibt. Er ist was er macht. Was kann man mehr?"
Sascha Alexander Plein, Berlin
"I've known PP a long time. He is an artist who possesses an incredible amount of positive energy and is capable of focusing that energy to consistently create new works of art. He is not afraid of new endeavors and is constantly pushing his comfort zone. His projects are always interesting, and rarely similar."
Keeley Brineman, Berlin
"Paradox Paul doesn't believe in god, and I like that, and thus, him."
Brainard Carey, New York
"Paradox Paul is a gentleman and a scholar who truly lives with passion and purpose for his art. In a recent work he has taken to wearing a bucket on his head, an understandable response to modern life."
James Harris, London
"Paradox Paul puts the rad, the do, the ox and the para into Paradox."
Alistair Noon, Berlin
"Whenever I see a certain kind of chair I have to think of PP and his Big Chairs project. This guy has really left some traces in Berlin and in my mind. I am proud to own one real chair built by PP, although he sold it to me much too cheap. (Money matters, Paradox Paul!)"
Helge der Hinterhofdichter, Berlin
"I remember PP aka Wally from his wonderful wacky Wallywoods world, the crazy experimental laboratory in Berlin. He was willing to take chances. I think of him as the mad creative scientist who somehow got sent to Zurich for special treatment, to be experimented on in underground research labs below the surface of the city. He is now locked in a dark room located somewhere far below, in a dark underground labyrinth. Only those with the key can locate him..."
Robert Carrithers, Prague
"Paradox Paul ist ein Künstler der trotz Frustrationen und Enttäuschungen sich nach jeden Tief wieder in ein kreatives Hoch katapultiert. He never gives up. Dafür gebührt ihm unser Respekt."
Tibor Foeldes & Marianne Mettler, Zurich
"A few words on the galleries in Kopisch Strasse and Weissensee.
Light in the darkness of those winter nights early that year. Birthday party for Paradox Paul. A good friend, gifted photographer himself, suggested attending the experimental space of the gallery where PP and the Ugly Americans had there own way with pianos, wall space and art. Readings - even Sophia in her early days spread words, and so did I between the Big Chairs. Driven out of the building - the space is still vacant - PP moved to Kulturhaus Peter Edel, into the desert of Weissensee, where he provided life between the ghostly rocks, pianos growing between the never ending tales on the walls."
Amanda Sabine Strauch, Berlin
"I met Paradox Paul at a show he was hosting in Berlin in 2007. There was a nice line up of acts and I had a really good set. He then invited me to play at an event at Gallery Wallywoods. The place was great, full of crazy art and painted, wrecked pianos. The night was one of those magic gatherings where people connect; it lead to shows for me in Vienna, and to setting up gigs here in Amsterdam for some of the acts I met. You can tell Paul has been around from the very early days in Berlin. He still has the attitude and dedication to art above trendiness. Wallywoods was in Weissensee, not the hippest of areas in Berlin, yet he fought tooth and nail with the council to keep it running. He also has the scariest stare on the planet: you listen when he talks. I write satirical songs, often ways of dealing with failures, rebukes or insults. He pointed out to me once that these songs work best when it's clear the singer has got over the initial obsession and is truly laughing - at the time I hadn't, something he sussed straight away. I remember he was concerned with the issue of the 'Islamification' of parts of London, and that surprised me. Touchy subject. These days he hangs out in Zurich working on something called 'Bucket Bloke'. I couldn't help wondering if has burkha envy."
Ken Parsons, Amsterdam
"Obstinately optimistic, PP cast an electric mix of acts onto his chair-ful underground Berlin stages. Now he pushes back boundaries in Switzerland. Right up to the mountaintops and back."
Alan Layton, Berlin
"The chair man, the man of a million chairs, the big chair in the sky..."
Thomas Zöltsch, Berlin
"A short line about Paradox Paul? Sorry, I had an idea, but forgot it again. It was something about our first meeting. He came to my place, to Perla-Mode, and asked if he could bring a piano to destroy. I thought, this is a crazy guy, this is quite mad."
Esther Eppstein, Tel Aviv
"A good initial report for young Paul. I am delighted to sign it. Now Paul must look to his future. We have produced one opportunity which he has discarded. In the very near future Paul must realise that he is blessed with an intelligence higher than most and cursed with an even greater shyness. If Paul does not screw up his courage and realise his great potential this country will be the poorer for his loss."
Headmaster, Aspen House (special needs school), London, 1979