Ludwig Wilding

IDEA

An idea arises in our mind and, through imagination, seeks the right path towards realisation, selecting — perhaps by means of experiments — the appropriate material, technique and colour. The proper form is determined by the content, not the other way round (= formalism). The fundamental idea behind my work is to overcome the static image (through movement and change) and to experience space (through stereoscopy). My more recent works are guided by the motto: moreimagesinthe object.

INTERACTION

My works are constructed so that a creative observer can apprehend the work. In a sense, I outline the rules of a game that the observer may enter, within which they may make changes and move (cybernetics) according to their own abilities and possibilities.

SPACE

We must free ourselves from the surface. Our thinking and perception have been, and remain, two-dimensional, even though we are capable of conquering outer space. Art must explain this process and create a spiritual basis for it. In 1975, while seeking to create illusory spaces, I discovered that line arrangements could be used to produce a stereoscopic effect.

MOVEMENT

Nothing is fixed; everything changes continuously. Today people are capable of travelling at enormous speed. I must express this in art as well. For this reason, since 1960 I have explored so-called “apparent movement”, which, in conjunction with the observer, suggests a movement rich in sensations.

ART = DREAM = ILLUSION = DELUSION

Art in any form is always connected with illusion or delusion. It beguiles us with a world that does not actually exist, yet allows us to escape, if only for a moment, from an often terrible reality. Since 1960, I have analysed visual illusion in my work. I consider three issues: 1) making the observer aware of how advanced our modes of perception are; 2) surprising and irritating, prompting thought and, finally, arousing attention and curiosity; 3) helping to sensitise our awareness to space and movement.

LINE

I realised very early on that the line was the element best suited to my personality and the means through which I could express myself most fully. There are infinitely many variants, and arrangements of linear structures open up entirely new and unforeseen possibilities.

MULTIPLICATION

The world’s population is growing at an enormous rate, as is the hunger for spiritual nourishment. That hunger cannot be satisfied by original works alone. Artists should act with social responsibility by making their art available to as many people as possible. This can be achieved only through multiplication. Music and literature have long followed this path; only in the visual arts do we lag far behind. Neither format nor uniqueness determines the value of art. Its value is determined solely and exclusively by the content it conveys. When art is multiplied, the high quality of each object must be preserved. I began making multiplied objects around 1965, in editions of different sizes and across almost every group of works.

^{translated from German by Dorota Domańska}