Reviews

Gerd Rehme is a painter who finds inspiration in the fresh Baltic Sea air outside his studio in Travemünde, Germany. He started his artistic journey as a portrait and advertising photographer before transitioning to oil painting through a collegial companionship. Rehme initially experimented as an autodidact before studying at the Academy of Painting in Berlin under Ute Wöllmann; a master student of Professor Georg Baselitz.

For centuries, painting has been used to communicate ideas, stories and emotions. Today it is undergoing a renaissance – with innovative ideas and technologies giving rise to exciting new styles and genres. Embedded in this movement, contemporary artist, Gerd Rehme, is pushing the boundaries of what painting can be and exploring complex themes like cybernetics, post­humanism and ecology. Interested in key issues like climate change and violence, Rehme captures mental processes that are inherent in humans, but whose energy and dynamics originate in nature. The artist uses bold colors and dynamic compositions to inspire and delight. His works include abstract art, abstract and figurative art, collage (photo-painting), and recently works focusing on identity and Artificial intelligence.

Gerd Rehme’s paintings are intricately detailed collages that incorporate a variety of computer devices like diodes, external hard drives, and USB sticks. The rust that covers some parts of these pieces, serves as a metaphor for the decay and degradation that occurs when we prioritize technology over humanity. The works “A.I.”, “Robota”, and “Human?” (Diptych) specifically delve into the issue of artificial intelligence and the fear that it could become more powerful than humans. Rehme is not necessarily against technology, but he is calling for caution and control.

Some of Gerd Rehme’s works focus on face recognition and digital control over man. In “Fragments”, you see the representation of scanning technology for face recognition.