VINCENT GRUNWALD
“Graphic scars”
Installation glass, translucent digital print, 2014
Companies that are specialized in Security Printing regulary present their newest products using printing samples. Sometimes ficticious documents are created. The companies apply special photographic reproductions to make hidden security features visible. In the work „Graphic Scars“ a selction of portratits manipulated by Security Graphics are shown on a glass board. The Images are visible from both sides.
“Security Design “
Human movements on the Earth’s surface are influenced by various natural and human-made factors. Natural features and national borders play a significant role in impeding, preventing, or redirecting human movement. Usually, a person must meet specific requirements to have the possibility of crossing a border. To cross a river, one must assess the nature of the river, such as its depth and current strength, and may need to swim or have access to a boat. Crossing a mountain requires other prerequisites such as sturdy shoes, warm clothing, and geographic knowledge to overcome the physical barrier. However, political decisions, reflected in visa and immigration policies, have the greatest impact today. The resulting governmental actions translate into complex procedures consisting of data flows, documents, control and verification procedures, and police strategies specialized in border security.
In his work complex “Security Design,” Vincent Grunewald deals with various forms of the document and verification industry as an example of the creation of data-based identities and their impact on affected individuals. For example, passports define whether one can cross borders or not, depending on the country. Their design aims to prevent duplication. It is called security design and consists of a set of graphic and technical elements such as guilloche graphics, microprint, various printing techniques, special colors, holograms, and translucent films, up to microchips. All these elements serve to make documents verifiable and thus to identify their holder and obtain information about him when the document is read.
The idea of a technically produced identity and the relevance of the associated information, especially in situations like migration and relocation, play an important role in my artistic work. He tries to enable new perspectives on existing images from this context by modifying and combining them with self-created images.
Vincent Grunwald is a visual artist who works with multimedia and engages critically with control, organizational, and punitive mechanisms of our present through language and writing. His works have been presented internationally in cities such as Buenos Aires, New York, Belgrade, Moscow, and Paris. Exhibitions featuring his works will be held in Milan and New York later this year.
In his work complex “Security Design,” Vincent Grunewald deals with various forms of the document and verification industry as an example of the creation of data-based identities and their impact on affected individuals. For example, passports define whether one can cross borders or not, depending on the country. Their design aims to prevent duplication. It is called security design and consists of a set of graphic and technical elements such as guilloche graphics, microprint, various printing techniques, special colors, holograms, and translucent films, up to microchips. All these elements serve to make documents verifiable and thus to identify their holder and obtain information about him when the document is read.
The idea of a technically produced identity and the relevance of the associated information, especially in situations like migration and relocation, play an important role in my artistic work. He tries to enable new perspectives on existing images from this context by modifying and combining them with self-created images.
Vincent Grunwald is a visual artist who works with multimedia and engages critically with control, organizational, and punitive mechanisms of our present through language and writing. His works have been presented internationally in cities such as Buenos Aires, New York, Belgrade, Moscow, and Paris. Exhibitions featuring his works will be held in Milan and New York later this year.
