Art is always linked to the respective time in which it is created and goes hand in hand with the corresponding developments and advances. Thus, every decade gives birth to new techniques, creating exciting possibilities for artists. This was the case for letterpress printing in the late Middle Ages, portrait painting in the Renaissance, video art, and finally the possibilities of today’s digital artwork. Big Data, signals and sensors characterize the age we live in. Digitization is changing our society, our culture and our perception. In doing so, it not only influences the way art is made, but also offers us new ways of presenting artworks.

Thanks to the potential of digital media, I was able to talk to the artist Reiner Maria Borchard, whose work is currently on display in my gallery. Despite the current pandemic and lockdown, guests were able to join us live in my gallery – via my first Instagram livestream. Being able to publish your own „show“ without having to be a broadcaster is still a relatively young phenomenon. For myself, it was a first – and consequently, I was quite excited. Things didn’t go quite so smoothly at first – new possibilities always mean having to get used to new technical challenges. But after a brief delay, we were live on air – and were able to take our viewers on a short journey through the creative world of Reiner Maria Borchard.

Since last year, the professor emeritus of the Muthesius University of Applied Sciences in Kiel has been devoting himself to a relatively young medium in addition to his landscape and still life photography: digital graphics. In a time-lapse video, he showed us how his work „The Clairvoyant“ came into being and the interplay of spontaneity, surfaces and forms during the process of creation. This lightness and its contrast to the structuredness of digital graphics highlight the different facets of digital artwork.

On a short tour through the gallery, we talked about the various backgrounds and possible interpretations of his graphics. Even though I can hardly wait to open my gallery up to an on-site audience again, I am happy and grateful for the possibilities that digitalization offers. It helps us to bring art closer to interested people, even in difficult times. What great synergy effects art and digitization can create! Thank you to everyone who tuned in to my first Instagram livestream! If you missed it, no worries. The video is still available. Just take a look!