Bernhard Ludewig

Bernhard Ludewig (* 1974 ) is a German graphic artist and photographer . He lives and works in Berlin and Lausanne .

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Bernhard Ludewig's graphic work goes back to the end of the 80s. Right from the start he developed the basics of a graphic style that he later referred to as technical reductionism . A characteristic of Ludewig's early work is the consequent restriction to a certain amount of graphic information , such as color or picture elements. There are images based on a palette of 16 distinct and immiscible colors. In other pictures he used a separate palette for individual areas of the picture (e.g. horizontal lines). Ludewig's works from this period often appear grainy - this, too, is an expression of the effort to reduce the necessary image information. In this sense, Ludewig also referred to the underlying and not reducible design elements as the “genetic code ” of the respective work. A series of functional digital miniatures with 36 × 36 pixels that he published in England in the mid-1990s as part of his "Mitras" project caused a sensation.

Since the turn of the century, Ludewig has concentrated increasingly on satirical graphics, which he usually regards as the products of a fictional parallel world. This includes z. B. Business enterprises, consumer goods, aid organizations, government agencies and the virtual "Immanuel Kant University of Königsberg". A recurring element is the euphoric parody : Ludewig tries to distract the viewer from dubious to absurd content through strict adherence to form and thus lead him onto the black ice. Despite the (often polemically) taken up political or social issues, the works defy clear interpretation.

In addition to his graphic work, Bernhard Ludewig now mainly works as a photographer.

Web links

• Photographers homepage from Bernhard Ludewig