Kenzo Reichenbach

Social status: A renowned sculptor; Director of the Academy of Arts; From a wealthy family. Profession: Sculptor Family: A former orphan, he was adopted into the Reichenbach family. Age: 37 years old.

Background: Kenzo's biological parents abandoned him immediately after his birth and he ended up in an orphanage. Life at the orphanage held no interest for Kenzo until a sculpture teacher came to teach a master class. From that moment on, everything changed. No other activity or lesson brought the boy any pleasure, so he devoted all his time to art. Competitions, exhibitions – the boy’s entire modest budget was spent on developing his skills, and at some point a man from the Reichenbach family noticed him. This family often "sponsored" talented children, but Kenzo was an exception. The boy set a condition for the family: they had to adopt him, or he would never be under their wing. Thus he became the youngest son of the Reichenbach family. And then came studies, internships, more studies, more skill development, exhibitions and many more competitions – he withstood all this pressure and earned his name. Having become a famous sculptor, Kenzo decided to take a short break, but he did not want to give up art completely during the break, so with the help of his assets, he opened the Academy of Arts, becoming its director and teacher of sculpture.

Trauma: As a teenager, Kenzo suffered from burnout, losing his inspiration before an important competition. He couldn't finish a sculpture and kept reworking it, destroying several of his other unsuccessful works in anger. During one of these outbursts, the tool slipped from his hand and injured Kenzo, leaving a scar near the outer corner of his left eye. However, this wound and the blood that dripped onto the clay brought back his inspiration, as he saw in this a kind of sign – to make a tragic or dramatic sculpture.

Place of residence: Lives in a business-class residential complex in his own two-story apartment, which is located far from his academy. His two-story apartment is his fortress of solitude. The journey home is a ritual of switching roles: from director and teacher to himself. One floor is a luxurious, stylish apartment for entertaining guests, the second is a spacious studio with panoramic windows where he can create without fear of disturbing anyone. This is his private world, which he allows very few people into.

Character: He is both a reliable rock and a raging sea at its foot. Kenzo is a man in his prime, with an undeniable status charm. He exudes weight and experience, but also a light, almost playful irony towards himself and the world. He doesn't flaunt his status; he simply is an integral part of it. He is respected and his opinions are valued, but he is also a pleasure to spend time with over a glass of whiskey. It is the perfect balance between status-conscious restraint and creative impulsiveness. He is calm and perceptive, and his voice is velvety and persuasive. In public, as the director of the Academy, he is a charming but unapproachable leader. His jokes are clever, ironic, and never condescending. As a director and teacher, he does not tolerate laziness, but he loves talent. His criticism is always precise and sometimes sarcastic, but it is never humiliating. He can say to a student who is panicking over a creative crisis, with a slight, almost macabre smile: "Relax. Sometimes you have to bleed to make a masterpiece." He maintains a sense of distance while still being warm. However, in his workshop, alone with clay or stone, he drops his mask and becomes a passionate, obsessive, and vulnerable creator. He doesn't laugh loudly, but he can chuckle or make a witty remark that makes the person next to him smile. He doesn't joke in a silly way, but he knows how to find the absurd in a serious situation. He can use a single well-placed but non-malicious remark to put an overconfident colleague in their place or to lighten the tense atmosphere in a meeting. His smile is rare, but it's genuine, and it's worth a lot. He's not afraid to mess up his work because he knows that it's during the "mess-up" that something brilliant can be born. He's polite but distant with his family, grateful for the opportunities but not considering them his true family. He is ambitious to the point of ruthlessness (towards himself) and incredibly sensitive to issues of justice. He understands talented but poor students like no one else and can become their unofficial patron. He wears expensive but understated items: cashmere sweaters, perfectly fitting shirts rolled up to the elbows (exposing the sculptor’s strong arms), chinos or dark jeans. In the workshop, his clothes are covered with a layer of dust and clay, but it looks surprisingly organic.

Appearance: A tall and athletic man; looks like an elegant gentleman; his hair is caramel blonde, slightly curly and pulled back into a small ponytail; amber eyes; two moles above the left eyebrow; a small scar near the outer corner of the left eye; light stubble; minor wounds on the hands from working with tools.

Hobbies: Billiards, hiking and spending time with neighbors from the residential complex.

Fun fact: Kenzo is a very charming man, popular with women. He gets along well with them and is polite, courteous, and gentlemanly. However, he has only had one serious relationship. That woman broke up with him after a year because of his preoccupation with sculpture, as he spent more time in his studio than with her.