As a young man, Germany's consul general, Frank Burbach (pictured with his wife Eva), had a choice - to become an artist or a lawyer. He decided to be both. After passing the Bar, he joined the diplomatic corp and was assigned to Hong Kong in 2005. But he kept up his painting. Having already been shown in London and Berlin, he opened his first show in town last week at the Art Beatus Gallery. 'When you paint, you want to be seen not for commercial purposes, but because you want to have a reaction from people who see your paintings, whether they like them or not,' the Munich native said. He is clearly a true patron of all the arts. His wife is cabaret performer Eva Meier. One reason it took so long for him to show his work here may be that he had trouble finding a gallery that could get past his consul status and just look at his art. 'They had never been asked by a diplomat before to stage an exhibition.' 'Wilderness' runs until February 28 at 35-39 Graham Street, Central.
