C. Wulffen was born in Bochum, Germany in 1954 where he received his training, culminating with a MFA from the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste (State Academy of Fine Arts) in Stuttgart. Emeritus professor (Cleveland Institute of Art) since Janurary 2023. He previously taught at the Staatlichen Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Stuttgart and Freie Hochschule (Independent Art Academy), Metzingen, among other institutions, in Germany. He has lectured in both Germany and the United States. His work has been supported by artistic residencies from the Kunststiftung (Art Foundation) Baden-Württemberg and Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris.

The German-American artist is living and working in Washington DC. He is represented by Michael Sturm Gallery (Stuttgart, Germany) and Reinhold Maas Gallery (Reutlingen, Germany) and collaborates with Niklas van Bartha London.