Ludwig Hanisch
Artwork’s Title: Pitfall
Materials Used: Acrylic and varnish on canvas
Studio Based: Nuremberg, Germany
Can you tell us about the process of making your work?
Usually I do some sketches on paper. Afterwards I use a graphical software to concretise them, and finally I combine painting techniques and foil stencils for the execution.
How would you define your work in a few words (ideally in 3 words)?
Contemporary gamified painting.
Would you use another three different words to describe the “Pitfall” painting?
Avatar Falling Monkey.
How did you come up with this painting idea? Is there any story behind this painting?
“Pitfall” transfers a digital theme back to the traditional medium of painting. Appearing as a virtual copy on screen, it transforms into an irreproducible unique copy on the painting due to its specific material language, like the stroke of the brush. In the background we can see the sequence of a computer game level. The pit the monkey is falling into has been taken from the game “Fist II: The Legend Continues” (1986).
What colour is used the most in this painting?
Acrylic Black & Arctic white.
What would be the best way to exhibit your work?
In contemporary art galleries or specific game culture orientated events.
How do you know when this painting was finished?
For me a painting is “finished” when I can’t add or remove anything anymore.
What about the place where you work? What’s your studio space look like?
I actually work in a basement. The floor is covered in paint and tins are standing everywhere. It’s hard to move around without kicking them.
Is there any particular message that you wish your viewers can take from this painting?
I am fascinated by the act of carrying the concept of gamification into figurative painting and finding a contemporary approach for it. Showing mysteries and enigmaticness is allowed to be a part of it.
Which exhibition did you visit last?
Neues Museum Nürnberg: “WHAT IF…?”.
Which are your plans for the near future?
At the end of the year I’ll have a solo exhibition, so currently I’m working on that. And together with my brother Paul Hanisch I’m composing and arranging music for the computer game “Ruffy and the Riverside” by Zockrates Laboratories, which is expected to be released next year.
Additional Paintings
All images are courtesy of the artist