Henning Wagenbreth showcases punchy anti-establishment illustrations at Design Center

“I grab people with an interesting image, and then they look at the rest,” says Henning Wagenbreth. The prominent German illustrator and poster designer, is all set to exhibit his distinct body of work at the Design Center of the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), Canada. Defined by deconstructed graphics that do not carry realistic features, Wagenbreth’s creations are layered with a different kind of heaviness, derived from his experience as an anti-regime activist during his primal years. Wagenbreth participated in anti-establishment activities until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Henceforth, his creative outcomes are imbued with social and political commentary layered with a hint of sarcasm and satire.

Apart from hosting the serigraph posters that Wagenbreth is best known for, the exhibition will also showcase some of the other formats that Wagenbreth has experimented in. Curated by Marc H. Choko, who is a professor at UQAM, the exhibition will remain open to the public from 24th February 2022 to 10th April 2022.

Born and brought up in the year 1962 in East Germany, Wagenbreth utilises his creative talent on all sorts of mediums. Over the years, he has created Art Brut illustrations for books, newspapers, posters, stamps, record covers, games, costumes, theatre sets and puppets. His graphical style is characterised by the usage of bright colours that are placed alongside each other in bold combinations. “The legibility of my idea is important,” says the graphic artist. Unique and distinctive, his graphics and typefaces derive inspiration from both archaic artisanal techniques as well as recent industrial techniques.

The exhibition will offer a detailed examination of the German artist's varied creations. While the curation will attempt to usher visitors into Wagenbreth’s poetic and sensitive world, the exhibition will also serve as a commentary on the state of the society through his carefully selected illustrations. Much like his cacophonous graphical style, the spaces of the exhibition will also be dotted with cut-out pieces of illustrations that will come together like a giant puzzle to make sense in the chaos.