Leonard von Brenndorff (he/him, b. 1994, Filderstadt, Germany) is a designer working with objects, print, spaces, and events. He is currently studying at Sandberg Instituut, Amsterdam with the department Studio for Immediate Spaces.
Trained as a professional carpenter in Bavaria, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cologne in 2022. His accolades include the Kölner Design Preis, Cartes Blanches of Passagen 24, and a scholarship from Kölner Gymnasial- und Stiftungsfonds. His work has been showcased in venues such as MAKK (Museum of Applied Arts Cologne), Kunsthalle Lindenthal, Galerie Neueröffnung and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. As a co-creator of "Noplace," an art space, collective, and event series, he collaborates with Cologne collectives exploring cooperative living and working.
Statement
I make objects that originate from living with a collective of 20 people at a country house by the Rotbach, Germany. The objects deal with the way the collective is engaging with their approach of coexistence – with each other but also with the river, the trees, and many other bodies found there. My research orbits around systemic structures of extraction that drive disconnection—whether through labor exploitation, environmental displacement, or land commodification. As a trained carpenter, I value fine craftsmanship and material sensitivity. I experience craft as something to connect people to the earth through technology, fostering belonging by merging social and material practices.
Exhibitions
2025 ONE First Year Show, Studio for Immediate Spaces, Sandberg Instituut