Peter Kogler “Ants” 2002

Since the early 1980s, the internationally successful artist Peter Kogler has been engaged in the artistic use of artificial intelligence to explore the living space. In 1997 he became head of the “New Media” class at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and subsequently developed impressive computer installations. Since 2008 he has held a professorship for graphic arts at the Munich Academy.
Ants are Peter Kogler’s signature motif, which occupies him almost all his life. Thus, the art critic Rainer Fuchs writes about the ant-motif in Kogler’s oeuvre: “Because of its symmetrical body shape and its ability to build and use labyrinths as orientation and working systems, the ant also seemed to Peter Kogler to be an ideal motif.”
He succeeds in translating their uniform movements, creatively using computer technology. A space-opening depth effect, as well as the impression of movement, is created by layering the ants on top of each other. The crawling animals are depicted in a repeating pattern on the large, horizontal format. On the bright red background, the motif unfolds memorably and appears almost in a pop-art style.