Diary
From London: Stefan Brüggemann
Untitled actions in lockdown
We visit the London home studio of Mexican-German artist Stefan Brüggemann, who shares his latest body of works in gold, created during isolation.
The philosophy of language is a crucial tenet in Brüggemann’s practice, in which text functions as a fluid medium, utilized for both form and meaning. These new works build on the artist’s series of Text Pieces—constructing a vocabulary of appropriated language from our increasingly digital lifestyles. Produced working with gold leaf, for Bruggemann this material fluctuates between representations of both economic and spiritual power. These questions of value are apposite during this time of uncertainty.
Stefan Brüggemann, Free (Hyper-Poem Lockdown), 2020 © Stefan Brüggemann
Stefan Brüggemann, Online Disconnected (Hyper-Poem Lockdown), 2020 © Stefan Brüggemann
Brüggemann’s recombination of short phrases of text brings their semiotic properties into focus, like headlines or hazard signs, evoking learned responses in the viewer. Termed Hyper Poems, Bruggemann considers these ‘a projection of our current situation’, mirroring the rhythm and the relentless newsfeeds of contemporary experience. – From a Distance is an ongoing series of personal videos from our artists and friends. We hope that sharing messages, videos and inspiration from artists’ homes and studios can bring us all closer together as we navigate this new reality. Follow us on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter to receive our ‘Dispatches’ of online exhibitions, original videos, and experiences.