Louis Schreyer (b. 1994, Germany) is a German-Austrian multidisciplinary artist based between London and Berlin. Following a foundation year at Central Saint Martins, he studied at London College of Communication (BA) and completed an MA at the Royal College of Art. With a background in film and photography, his practice spans painting, installation, and moving image.
His work serves as a mirror, inviting people to reflect on themselves and the world around them. Often beginning from a place of warning or critique, his practice aims to shift perception, encouraging a deeper, more questioning engagement with reality. Grounded in critical theory, Schreyer examines the psychological impact of capitalism, mechanisms of control, the power of language, and the mediation of geopolitical conflict.
At the core of his motivation is a desire to understand and confront the conditions that allow war and violence to persist.
His work seeks to engage this space, fostering awareness without blame, and asking what responsibility looks like, for both artist and audience, in a world shaped by inherited systems and fragile moral narratives.
His concept-led approach treats medium as context, carefully chosen not only to frame the subject, but to shape how it is experienced. Whether through installation or emotionally charged, expressive painting, he uses form to guide perception and redirect attention.
Though grounded in theory, his painting process is instinctive and guided by feelings. Working between abstraction and figuration, and between drawing and painting, he allows recurring symbols and a personal visual vocabulary to surface freely. The conceptual groundwork often recedes in the act of making, giving space for emotion to guide the composition, in what it has been described as "radical tenderness".
Research and reflection give way to a physical, intuitive act of making, an informed improvisation that channels thought into form. His works often carry multiple layers, visually and conceptually, inviting the viewer to pause and encouraging a slower mode of looking that rewards attentiveness and presence. Through this process, he opens a space for contemplation to see beneath the surface and to experience perception with renewed attention and care.
More recently, his practice has focused on reframing the present, dissecting contemporary realities in order to explore how the idea of the future can obscure our ability to see the present clearly. He examines human experience from a number of standpoints, engaging with spiritual truth and the future as a way to reorient the now. In doing so, he works to interrupt the illusion of inevitability, offering a subtle yet insistent invitation to see the present more truthfully.
His work serves as a mirror, inviting people to reflect on themselves and the world around them. Often beginning from a place of warning or critique, his practice aims to shift perception, encouraging a deeper, more questioning engagement with reality. Grounded in critical theory, Schreyer examines the psychological impact of capitalism, mechanisms of control, the power of language, and the mediation of geopolitical conflict.
At the core of his motivation is a desire to understand and confront the conditions that allow war and violence to persist.
His work seeks to engage this space, fostering awareness without blame, and asking what responsibility looks like, for both artist and audience, in a world shaped by inherited systems and fragile moral narratives.
His concept-led approach treats medium as context, carefully chosen not only to frame the subject, but to shape how it is experienced. Whether through installation or emotionally charged, expressive painting, he uses form to guide perception and redirect attention.
Though grounded in theory, his painting process is instinctive and guided by feelings. Working between abstraction and figuration, and between drawing and painting, he allows recurring symbols and a personal visual vocabulary to surface freely. The conceptual groundwork often recedes in the act of making, giving space for emotion to guide the composition, in what it has been described as "radical tenderness".
Research and reflection give way to a physical, intuitive act of making, an informed improvisation that channels thought into form. His works often carry multiple layers, visually and conceptually, inviting the viewer to pause and encouraging a slower mode of looking that rewards attentiveness and presence. Through this process, he opens a space for contemplation to see beneath the surface and to experience perception with renewed attention and care.
More recently, his practice has focused on reframing the present, dissecting contemporary realities in order to explore how the idea of the future can obscure our ability to see the present clearly. He examines human experience from a number of standpoints, engaging with spiritual truth and the future as a way to reorient the now. In doing so, he works to interrupt the illusion of inevitability, offering a subtle yet insistent invitation to see the present more truthfully.
Education
2012 – 2013 Central Saint Martins
2013 – 2016 London College of Communication
2016 - 2018 Royal College of Art
Exhibitions
2025 London, “From Hollywood to Whetstone” Group exhibition curated by Anthony Fawcett.
2024 Lagos.mx, Mexico City, Mexico. “todo bien, todo mal,” Solo exhibition.
2024 Lagos.mx, Mexico City, Mexico. Artist Residency
2023 Brixton House, London, UK. ‘Please don’t hurt me,” Group exhibition.
2023 London, Apolitical x wikileaks workshop: “States of Violence”
2022 Sibling Studios, London, UK, “Still Life,” Duo Show.
2021 Ridley Road Market Place, London, UK. Open Studio.
2020 Atika, London. Group exhibition.
2019 Arch Attack, London, UK. Live painting.
2019 Feet First Zine Fair, Bruxelles, Belgium.
2019 Muffathalle, Munich, Germany, “Digital Encounters”, Millieux Insitiute, MCTS + LUM.
2018 Studio Famos, Ingolstadt, Germany. Nato Kids Pop up Store.
2018 Bar Marcella, Barcelona. Nato Kids x WIP. Pop up Event.
2018 Doomed Gallery, London. “It Will Find You,” Group exhibition.
2017 White City Place, London. “Entangled: Art, Science and Quantum Computing” Group exhibition.
2017 Courtyard Gallery, RCA, London. “How did we get here” Group exhibition.
2017 Mainoeuvre Gallery, Berlin. “Lunch Money” - Group exhibition.
2017 The Workshop, London. “21. Faith.” Group exhibition
2017 Fata Morgana Gallery, Berlin. “UK to Germany.” Group exhibition.
2017 Ha Miffal Gallery, Jerusalem, Group exhibition.
2016 Noble Studies, London. Noble People Group exhibition.
2015 Soho Revue, London. Noble People Group exhibition.
2015 Science Museum, London -Tim Peak’s “Principia” Launch Event.
2014 thePrintSpace, London. AOP Student Awards exhibition.