Lars Koepsel, born in Bingen am Rhein, lives in Munich. After studying Art History (Mainz) and Philosophy (LMU Munich) as well as completing a craft-based apprenticeship as a gilder and church painter, he developed his artistic practice, which combines artisanal precision, historical references, and philosophical foundations.

A central element of his work is handwriting as an expression of his conceptual approach. At the core of this text-based art are complete transcriptions of seminal works such as Dante’s Divine Comedy, Plato’s Theaetetus, Hannah Arendt’s We Refugees, Erasmus’ Praise of Folly, or the Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels.

The texts are written in multiple layers on top of one another until they transform into dense visual textures that elude readability and oscillate between image, language, and text, thereby performing the transition from legible writing to visual image. Koepsel works with various media: handmade paper, historically charged old maps and globes, and he has created large site-specific script works for walls, rooms, and public art projects.

A formative phase in Koepsel’s artistic development was the discovery of so-called “concept script,” a special form of Chinese calligraphy, during his recurring stays in Taiwan since 1993. From this he developed a visual language that draws on both Western and Eastern traditions, building temporal, historical, and philosophical bridges.

In addition to international exhibitions in Taipei, Brisbane, Vienna, Berlin, and Bergen, Koepsel has recently presented work in national contexts, including They together with Vernon Ah Kee (Galerie Boutwell/Schabrowsky, Munich, 2025), the mural 2 (harmony in diversity – everyday war) (MVHS, Munich, 2024), and contributions to the Matsu Biennale (Taiwan, 2023) as well as the German Society for Christian Art.

Lars Koepsel has given lectures and participated in panel discussions at venues such as documenta 15 (Kassel, 2022), the Alexander Tutsek Foundation, the Goethe-Institut Taipei, Kuandu University of Art, and at universities in Australia and Taiwan.

In 2012 he founded the Apartment der Kunst in Munich and initiated an artist exchange with a residency program between Taiwan and Munich.

His works are held in public and private collections, including the Bavarian State Library, the Lyrik Kabinett Munich, the Aareal Bank Wiesbaden, and the Häusler Collection.