Kaspar Ludwig’s work grows out of the pleasure of manual craft and a direct engagement with materials. Trained as a sculptor in Carrara, he began with marble and has since moved through ceramics, brass, bronze, concrete, wood and iron. He combines traditional techniques such as woodcutting and mosaic with installation and video, a range that reflects his curiosity and his wish to learn and share knowledge.
Many works in Ludwig’s exhibition at MASI were made during a residency in Jingdezhen, China, long considered the world capital of porcelain. There, Ludwig immersed himself in the local environment and its knowledge, letting the encounter shape the creative process.
Everyday situations and objects stand at the center of his practice. Materials from the Great History of Art, such as marble, bronze and porcelain, are set against apparently mundane subjects, producing a subtle, ironic short circuit. He also turns his attention to the rules of the art world, which he readily breaks: his mother curated an exhibition (Curato dalla mamma, Rome 2022), and he organized one for dogs (Ancora voi, Zürich 2023). Dogs recur throughout his work, offering a way to question human centrality and to reflect on interspecies relationships. What remains when such a relationship is interrupted?
While keeping its lightness, the catalogue also addresses the personal loss of his dog Jodel. It is conceived as a walk with Jodel—through artworks, places and relationships, and includes contributions by nine invited artists, reflecting the importance of collaboration. A conversation with co-curator Taisse Grandi Venturi leads into the artist’s thinking and the places that have shaped his research.
Kaspar Ludwig is the winner of the Manor Art Prize Ticino 2026, on the occasion of which MASI presents the exhibition “illimitato, astratto, quasi futuro” (17.10.2026–04.04.2027) and publishes this catalogue.
