Tristan Huschke’s poster practice is an antidote to artistic elitism

The designer and animator Tristan Huschke began his creative journey not with design, but with painting. He studied for a degree in fine art working solely with oil on canvas; “during that time, I not only learned a lot about technique but also about the creative process,” Tristan says. “How to develop a personal style, engage with my work, and find a visual language that goes beyond mere decoration.” After graduating, Tristan realised he needed to take his work outside of the sometimes stuffy environments of museums and galleries; the typically elitist nature of art contended and his desire to be seen by more people. “Design provides exactly that opportunity,” Tristan says, “it has a function, is accessible, and reaches people where they are.”

In comparison to the famously slow practice of oil painting, Tristan’s work is fast-paced, digital and energetic – these very sensibilities drew him to the music scene where his practice is particularly at home. Whilst some practicalities of his work differ from painting, the ‘canvas’ structure has continued. Tristan is naturally drawn to the poster as his primary medium, using its limitations as a way to explore the capacity of his creative practice whilst offering it to a much broader audience. “My interest in posters arose from the desire to make art more accessible,” Tristan says. “I wanted my work to be present in public spaces, to reach a wider audience, and digital tools provided me with exactly that opportunity.”

Tristan’s systematic approach to form and pattern is the foundation of his practice. “What I often find fascinating is the transition between harmony and disharmony,” he says, usually creating a more subdued poster before then causing chaos. “Miles Davis once said, ‘it’s not the note you play that’s the wrong note – it’s the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong,’” Tristan adds. As such, Tristan is meticulous in the composition and character of his posters, creating contrast with broader, bolder forms alongside delicate disruptions of type and illustration. “It creates tension that tells a story and brings the two elements into direct dialogue,” Tristan ends.