SASCHA HERRMANN. MATTER OF LIGHT

Artist Statement
My work is an attempt to explore several representations of more or less well known weather phenomena with both, archaic as well as common or even sophisticated kind of practices of photographic imaging. Hereby, I investigate questions of authorship, relevance and reproduction. My intention is to find several results of imagery research, which are presented in particular arrangements. This concept refers to the close relationship between earliest experimental photography and the first empirically motivated, meteorological studies. The weather is depending on unpredictable conditions. Therefore the composition of my works is determined by other powers than only my own. I follow the idea of art as an experiment, which forces me to include unpredictable things, randomization or chaotic structures. I am fascinated by the seemingly chaotic processes of weather and the resulting inability for mankind to forecast or regulate it in a controlled manner. In the sky, respectively in the clouds I have also found the possibility to formulate statements about our relationship to the photographic image itself. The sky is sort of a petri dish for my thoughts on contemporary art. Another important aspect for me is the relation between reproduction and representation. The particular subjects of my works circle around a visualization of hidden or even unseen or invisible phenomena, but also around the proportion between significance and insignificance of weather in general and furthermore around the property of photography to generate feelings and insights beyond pure representation. Due to this my work can be considered as a exploration of representing borders, both visible one’s and perceptible one’s. Sascha Herrmann utilizes the weather as an author, exploring representations of well known weather phenomena with different practices of photographic imaging. This concept refers to the close relationship between earliest experimental photography and the first empirically motivated, meteorological studies.

Sascha Herrmann, born 1982 in Berlin, studied Photography at Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig in the class of Peter Piller. He has visited the classes of Christopher Williams at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and of Aglaia Konrad at Luca School of Arts, Brussels. His work describes the perceptual simulacrum between the disciplines of meteorology and photography while relating the viewer to present experience. Sascha Herrmann lives and works in Berlin.