Sensual Knowledge (Gefühltes Wissen)

Gerhard Mantz, born in Neu-Ulm, Germany, has long been based in Berlin, where he has established himself as an influential artist. He studied painting and media at the Karlsruhe Academy of Arts and began gaining recognition across Germany and Europe in the 1980s. Since the 1990s, Mantz has incorporated digital media into his work, pioneering the use of computer programming in large-scale digital prints, video installations, and net art. In 2000, he developed his own software program to integrate into his creative process, blending 19th-century traditional painting techniques with digital tools to craft increasingly complex and realistic virtual landscapes.

Sensual Knowledge (Gefühltes Wissen) is a work that visualizes an imagined natural space through graphic representation. Rather than depicting a specific location on a map, Mantz uses these landscapes as metaphors for psychological states. The work evokes an enigmatic natural world, existing somewhere between reality and imagination, inviting viewers into a space where they may discover both unfamiliar and familiar elements. By employing technology to create non-existent yet seemingly real natural scenes, Mantz traverses and blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, prompting reflection on the nature of perception and existence.