Andr? Butzer (b. Stuttgart, 1973; lives in Berlin) rose to renown with pictures he describes as " science fiction expressionism" and iconic characters like the " Peace Siemense," the " Men of Shame," or the " Woman" as well as seemingly abstract compositions. Artistic predecessors he admires and emulates include Walt Disney, Edvard Munch, Henri Matisse, Friedrich H? lderlin, and Henry Ford. Butzer's utopian artistic vision is anchored in the fictional place " NASAHEIM", a kind of pilgrimage destination in outer space. Yet his paintings should not be mistaken for illustrations of narrative structures; they articulate something that could not be said before. Similes of a sort, they embody the forever recurring extremes of history as emblems of human existence.