Finn Wagner
My work is driven by a deep fascination with material, natural, and social processes that I seek to understand through research and observation. By building my own tools, like a foundry to see metal in its liquid state, a lens to melt rocks with sunlight, or wet-forming leather, I derive theory through material studies.
These insights are formulated into metaphors that question the permanence of our societal structures, both social and materialistic. Like water seeping into the cracks of concrete, crystallizing, and fracturing its solidity, these metaphors become guides for political action.
I work within the dialogue between old crafts like stone carving and digital worlds in immersive video installations. Here, my metaphors come to life while the physical borders between material, future, and past melt together. I see myself as an archaeologist who produces his own finds to emphasize future potential and contemporary critique, while honoring ancient knowledge.
My practice seeks to foster a deeper connection between the artifacts we create and the landscapes we inhabit, learning from nature and history rather than destroying them for economic growth. A key focus is to move beyond the divide between nature and culture, which I believe fortifies many of our unequal and destructive systems.
