German Artist Kef! To Appear Live On The Fine Art Auction

by Thomas Leturgey

Simon Rohlen has no ego despite the massive success he has achieved over the past 14 years.

The 35-year-old street artist was born and raised in Germany to a loving family. Dad was a teacher, while mom and sister loved music. And while the family is separated by distance and an ever-burgeoning schedule, they remain “close in the heart.”

As a young boy, Rohlen would sketch birds he saw in the family garden. “I was always creative,” he said recently. “Not always painting.” He started graffiti art at 14. At 15 he was winning art contests against students from other schools. “There was always creativity going on.”

At 23, he moved to London and worked there for two years. From 2013-2015, and along with others, he joined a “new movement” that wasn’t just letters in the street. He started painting logos and different characters. He was always looking for develop, improve and “express my feelings.” That’s when the elusive and popular Kef! was born.

Getting in touch with his feelings and dealing with a “chaotic” real world has been a continual pursuit for the artist. He finds solace in the outdoors. “In nature, it’s just pure serenity.” He details how Autumn can be both chaotic with leaves falling and harmonious in the aftermath. Kef! never considers his creativity, “work.” His ascendancy to the top of the modern art world has been a “side effect that came” from a lifetime of “what I love to do.”

That passion has allowed him to travel around the world. He guesses that over the past year, he has been away from his home base for six months.

Rohlen’s “World of Formlessness” opened in Germany earlier this month. “It was always in my mind that I wanted to create something with textile,” he said. “I first had the idea years ago and I was looking for the comfortable, perfect moment.”

Part of that expansive schedule is a two-day stop with Ray Taylor, Richard English and the team at the Fine Art Auction in Atlanta, Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24. Rohlen is set to auction four very rare pieces from his Elemental Fusion Series. “The inspiration came between the ages of 19 and 23,” he said. He participated in an apprenticeship with industrial mechanics. “For three and a half years, I worked with metal.” He found this return to his roots as a “fusion of harmony, serenity and steel.”

Scouted by art curators from Christies and Sotheby's, Kef! has been a mainstay on the 7 p.m. to midnight, Friday through Monday showcase for quite some time. His paintings routinely sell for thousands of dollars. Many times, his trademark paintings close out an energetic night of auctioning. This weekend, Kef! is among Pablo Picasso, Lucas Roy, Lisa Mee and Salvadore Dali. It’s a company that doesn’t slip past the artist. “This is a great opportunity for many people to see my work. It is most important so I can give the message behind my work. Television is a great location for that.” [In recent weeks, art prodigy Sarah Wall and Pedro Ortiz Munoz have also made successful live appearances on the program.]

The camaraderie of great artists is “important to be together and strengthen one another.”

“I believe the world is so chaotic, my mission is to go forward and show my work. It’s a part of my journey, my path.”

Rohlen’s travels will certainly bring him back to Atlanta as he has been chosen to represent Germany during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Along with nine others, his work will be installed as eight matches are set to be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including the tournament semi-final. It’s considered to be a big deal for Kef! The global exposure he experiences with the Fine Art Auction (who is working with the host committee) and FIFA will is exciting for the future.

Meanwhile, some contributions are closer to the heart and soul.

Simon Rohlen’s impact has touched some in the most remarkable of ways. “I got a message about two weeks ago,” he said. A woman became pregnant, and a close family member pressured her to terminate the pregnancy. She wanted to keep the baby and found solace and strength while simply admiring Kef!’s catalog of work on the internet. It was a very hard and distressing time for the woman. After a pause, he said, “She told me her baby is now five years old.

“The ultimate goal is to touch people through my work,” he says.

Kef! has done just that.

[The Fine Art Auction catalog can also be found at shopavc.com. The television can be found on most cable outlets, 7:00 p.m. to midnight, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, as well as “The Fine Art Auction” on YouTube.]