Reinhardt Takeo Hollstein creates a new art form that encourages community connection

By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Reinhardt Takeo Hollstein

Reinhardt Takeo Hollstein has loved creating art since he was a kid. Practicality led him to choose a career in electrical work. Now, he does both, and he has invented a new art form that he calls Art-Tronic, which combines sound, touch, sight, and even taste, into one unique experience.

For some time, Hollstein had wanted to devise an artwork that would combine his knowledge of electronics with his passion for art, yet he felt that technology hadn’t quite caught up to what he had in his mind, so he waited. In 2017, he took the plunge and made a “touch conductive musical painting” of Jimi Hendrix. Since then, he has done several musical works of art that fascinate, and sometimes confuse, his viewers. People just don’t know what to make of them. At an exhibit of the musical works in Burien, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, Hollstein carefully prepared everything that he could think of to help attendees interact with the paintings. He explained that they could be touched around the borders and that they would play music. He provided hand sanitizer because everyone was, and are, still afraid to touch anything. Even so, people hesitated, and it was somewhat discouraging, yet also served as a learning opportunity.

Jimi Hendrix Touch Audible Painting by Reinhardt Takeo Hollstein. Courtesy of the artist.

The cogs in his mind always thinking, always inventing, always coming up with new ways to approach his art, Hollstein got to work creating a tribute to Prince that incorporated a replica of Prince’s guitar in relief, giving the audience something more tactile to interact with. He also created a work dedicated to Ironman’s iconic battle with Whiplash, with several components that light up. What was the next step? How could he further encourage relationships with his art and with himself as an artist? Enter Art-Tronic, an invention by Hollstein that incorporates moving parts, such as coffee makers, beer steins, or wine pourers. These he affixes to paintings done in an abstract Cubism-reminiscent style which, more often than not, have a theme important to him.

Yes, it really pours coffee! Coffee Maker Functional Painting by Reinhardt Takeo Hollstein. Image courtesy of the artist.

Reinhardt with Wine -Tap Functional Painting. Courtesy of the artist.

Part Japanese and part German, Hollstein made the “Berlin Wall Beer Painting Abstract” as a tribute to his father and to freedom. His goal, for this work, and for all of his work, was and is “to get people together, to love one another.” In the case of the beer painting, it celebrates the falling of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The Berlin Wall literally and metaphorically kept people apart. It was a barrier, both physical and psychological, that, when torn down, represented a joining together of people. Hollstein’s paintings bring people together by actually serving beer (or coffee, or wine). He hopes that his works will eventually be featured inside of a business, for instance, where they might use one of them as a centerpiece, say, for a wine tasting event.

Berlin Wall Beer Tap Painting Abstract. Images courtesy of the artist.

People can’t believe it. Yes, these paintings really dispense beverages. Or yes, they really play music that you can touch to turn on and off—or use a computer to change up the playlist. His paintings include components such as small processors (connected only to the work itself, so no need to worry about outside interference), a battery power source, on and off switches and the like along the edges, touch points on the surface of the work itself, and actual appliances, when applicable. Hollstein is constantly brainstorming how to make adjustments for greater usability, such as coming up with a surface for the interactive works that will encourage touching and be easy to clean. After someone purchases a work, Hollstein remains on hand to provide support. To him, staying in touch is an important part of the relationship between the artist and the client.

Hollstein grew up in Des Moines, Washington. He still fondly recalls riding his bike back and forth to the waterfront, and fishing with his friends. His father was in the Air Force, which was how he met Hollstein’s mother, who was Japanese. When his father got a job with Boeing, the family moved to Washington state. A self-taught artist, Hollstein remembers drawing pictures since he was 8 or 9 years old. The family didn’t have anything fancy on hand, just pencil and paper, maybe some watercolor paints. His mother was artistically talented, he said. As an adult, Hollstein joined a union and did electrical work for 35 years. He still works a related job for a Georgetown lighting agency that assists companies that want to be compliant with the state’s environmental requirements. On the side, or all of the time, he is thinking about and making his art. A lot of his art he forms first in his mind for some time, he told the Northwest Asian Weekly, and sketches on paper, before he begins the hands-on process.

He is an inventor and artist. His art, he says, is a “learning curve” for himself and for everyone, yet he is more than happy to assist in its understanding. Connection and trust are paramount.

“I was experimenting with all kinds of stuff because I wanted to see how far I could take it,” he said of his first works—although this still applies to his general approach. From his home in Auburn, he envisions reaching out to his neighbors near and far. His ultimate dream? He wants to create a cooperative in-person hub in the Seattle area where artists can promote their works to potential employers. Artists may bring their own preferred techniques to the table—this includes all art forms, from visual to music to theater. In addition, Hollstein will pass on his own trade, his unique combination of electronics and art—Art-Tronic.