Gregor Hildebrandt b. 1974
Gregor Hildebrandt’s cassette tape paintings are a distinctive fusion of material and concept, where analog media becomes both medium and message. In these works, Hildebrandt uses pre-recorded cassette tape, usually black or darkly toned, as a form of painterly material, pressing it onto canvas to create textured, minimalist surfaces. Often, he applies the magnetic tape to one surface (like a canvas) and then presses another canvas or support onto it, creating a mirror image, an echo or ghost of the original.
Inspired by the relatively obscure 1995 Slovakian film 'The Garden' by Martin Šulik, Hildebrandt sourced tapes from the film and transformed them into his signature paintings, resulting works are deeply monochromatic, yet rich in texture and imbued with conceptual resonance. The tapes themselves often contain music, poetry, or other recordings that hold personal or cultural meaning, though this content remains hidden, embedded invisibly in the visual surface, embuing the work with a nostalgic aura.
Works from this series have been acquired by prominent collections in Germany, incl. Wemhöner Collection.