Florian Reinhardt German, b. 1978

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Florian Reinhardt, FR658, 2016
Overview

“What you see are my stories and my development — as an artist and as a person. I started photographing details and signs about 20 years ago as a spontaneous, compulsive action rooted within – for me, taking a snap is like breathing: it’s about instinct and the inevitability.” 

Florian Reinhardt - Filmmaker & Photographer

Born in Bonn, Germany, in 1978, Florian Reinhardt built a successful career as a filmmaker, director, and producer with over 20 years of experience in movies, TV series, and commercial films. Though widely recognized for his work in reality television, his true passion lies in visual storytelling.

A decade ago, he turned to photography, focusing on a singular motif: EXIT signs. What began in 2008 with a broken-lit EXIT sign in Miami evolved into a worldwide collection of over 1,000 images. To Reinhardt, these signs symbolize movement, escape, and transition-universal markers that mirror life's journey. Through his lens, EXIT is more than a direction; it's a personal and artistic philosophy.

Works
Biography

"What you see are my stories and my development - as an artist and as a person. I started photographing details and signs about 20 years ago as a spontaneous, compulsive action rooted within - for me, taking a snap is like breathing: it's about instinct and the inevitability. There is a certain reflective solace in focusing on small details, on signs everybody sees, but no one recognizes. 'Exit' is one of these omnipresent signs we automatically overlook. For me EXIT means to live in the here and now, a reminder that it is always your conscious decision either to stay in the moment or leave. In a world that is increasingly alienating the individual with its speed, looking and actually  seeing details is a form of grounding oneself.

 

The photographs happen in the moment, I always shoot with my iPhone: I see a sign, I recognize it, I relate to it and I capture it in a matter of seconds. All my EXIT signs are connected to a story, an experience I had in that moment and a lesson I learned. Exit is a way of opting out of unavoidable situations, physically present - mentally not. My pieces for Exit are the story of how I grew as a person and I want to give everyone the opportunity to reflect on their own EXIT moments, experiences, and lessons. In doing so I want to open up the possibility of relating more to each other as people, which in the end is the ultimate scope of art."

 

Born on September 24, 1978, in Bonn, Germany, Florian Reinhardt spent his formative years moving between eight different German towns before the age of 16. By 19, he had completed his schooling and embarked on a career in the television industry, starting as an intern at various TV companies.

During his twenties, he quickly rose through the ranks, establishing himself as a successful director and shareholder of an independent film production company. With over two decades of experience in filmmaking, he has worked across a diverse range of formats, including movies, scripted and non-scripted TV shows, series, and commercial films. As one of the most accomplished TV producers in the reality television genre, he mastered the craft of creating captivating content-despite his personal lack of affinity for the format.

The constraints of his childhood instilled in him a deep appreciation for imagery. While words hold beauty, he found an even greater resonance in pictures, and an undeniable power in motion pictures. To this day, he remains dedicated to filmmaking and production.

A decade ago, Reinhardt discovered a new artistic passion-photography, with a singular focus on a recurring motif: EXIT signs. This obsession began in 2008 in South Beach, Miami, when he noticed an EXIT sign illuminated by two lights, one of which was broken. To him, it symbolized endurance-being physically present yet mentally not. Captivated by its significance, he took a photo, unknowingly igniting an artistic journey that would lead him to document over 1,000 EXIT signs worldwide.

EXIT signs, in their varied states-pristine, worn, illuminated, or fading-became an extension of his life's narrative. They exist everywhere, silent witnesses to the unfolding of countless human stories. To Reinhardt, they are more than just signs; they are reflections of movement, escape, and transition. Each EXIT sign he captures brings him back to pivotal moments in his own life, spread across different places and times.

For him, EXIT is more than an instruction-it's a philosophy. A chance to break free from the relentless need to function, from the conditioning that shapes personality, from the entrapments of routine. And with every new destination, another EXIT awaits-leading, perhaps, to the next revelation.

 

There is always an option. Find your EXIT

 

Press
Exhibitions
Bibliography

AWARDS

  • German Photo Book Award Silver 2021|2022

Category: Coffee Table Books

EXIT Physically present, mentally not.

Photographer: Florian Reinhardt

Text author: Florian Reinhardt, Anne Avramut, Ani Menua, Dr. Norbert Moos

Design: Rea Severain

Publisher: Hatje Cantz

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SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2022

  • Galerie Buchkunst Berlin, Berlin / February 18th – March 27th, 2022

2021

  • Forum für Fotografie, Cologne / November 6th – 13th, 2021

  • Drivers & Business Club Munich, Munich / September 25th, 2021

  • Till Breckner Galerie, Düsseldorf / August 7th – September 3rd, 2021

2020

  • Till Breckner Galerie, Düsseldorf, Nachtbrötchen

  • Rudolf Budja Galerie, Miami, “EXIT – Physically present, mentally not.”

2018

  • Rudolf Budja Gallery, Salzburg, 30 YEARS

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GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024 

  • NOT A GALLERY, group exhibition.

2021

  • RBG Miami, group exhibition with Andy Warhol and Florian Reinhardt

2020

  • Rudolf Budja Gallery at the Salzburg International ArtFair, HUNDRED

2018

  • Street Art, Rudolf Budja Gallery, Salzburg

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TRADE FAIRS

2021

  • Rudolf Budja Gallery at Art Miami 2021

2019

  • Rudolf Budja Gallery at Art Miami 2019

  • Rudolf Budja Gallery at Art New York 2019

2018

  • Rudolf Budja Gallery at Art Miami 2018

2024

  • Rudolf Budja Gallery at Art Miami 2024

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