Holger Lippmann discusses his geometrical code art with STIR

Holger Lippmann is a digital artist who creates intricate, geometrical code artworks, often quite hypnotic to look at. The German artist who hails from Dresden, introduces himself, telling STIR: "I started working with computers and programming shortly after studying fine arts. I have spent most of my waking hours over the past 20 years coding, programming, and creating digital and generative art.”

Lippmann’s artmaking career began soon after he graduated and quickly rose to some prominence. Reflecting on this time, he remarks, "I was already relatively successful with a young gallery from Dresden and was able to take part in international art fairs as well. During a scholarship stay in Paris and two more years in New York, I got in contact with computer-generated aesthetics through music videos and the club scene, which inspired me, right from the beginning.” Over time, Lippmann moved to Berlin, where he began working as a VJ, and simultaneously built inroads into galleries that were opening up to digital art. He has since dubbed his highly valued work as e-art.

The artist’s work has evolved, having featured pieces resembling abstract topographical art, along with representative depictions of flower blossoms appearing within his oeuvre as well. It would seem that the circumstances of his life have played a major role in the formative aspects of the series that encompass Lippmann’s larger body of art. For example, he explains that a move with his family from urban to more rural areas outside Berlin, Germany, after over two decades of city life, opened his eyes to the wonders of the natural world, which in turn, led to floral motifs appearing within his pieces.

In his words, “It was for me, also in connection with the joy of having our children; a kind of discovery of the beauty of nature. We (the artist and his family) have made endless hikes through the woods and fields, to beautiful lakes and heaths. Hundreds of photos were taken by us, and finally, without thinking much, the first grass and plant motifs appeared in my work.”

Besides these, geometric forms can be found throughout Lippmann’s oeuvre. As he explains, he has a predilection towards the stark symmetry these forms entail, which goes back to an older appreciation for Bauhaus. His preference for geometry is so strong, that when he uses the floral motifs discussed above in his work, he often finds himself simplifying them until they become minimalist and geometric.

The artist played with the idea of becoming a painter ever since he was 16, and subsequently attended a three-year preparatory course at the Dresden Art Academy to then study there for another five years, before enrolling into a postgraduate program for another two years. It is interesting to consider that Lippmann originally wished to pursue painting when engaging with some of his topographical code art pieces. Even though they are created entirely using digital tools, one may draw parallels between them and massive landscape paintings.

One observes how the artist has turned to the timeless medium of sculpture to plan out his future works. He tells STIR, “I started about half a year ago, inspired by the video game Minecraft, to develop and print out pixel figures. I call these VOXEL.” Lippmann intends to take these further through his work with the JavaScript library p5js and looks forward to adding dynamism and variability to the results, but refuses to say any more on the matter. In the artist’s words, “It’s a big project and one I actually shouldn't talk about yet, because as they say; don't talk about unlaid eggs!”