Florian Reinhardt

FILMMAKER. BORN ‘78 IN BONN. GERMANY. Raised as the son of a high ranking german military general. He Grew up in 8 different German towns till the age of 16. Finished school at the age of 19 and started as an Intern in different TV companies. In his twenties, he made his way up to a successful career as director and shareholder of an independent film production company. 20 years of experience in the film business. Florian Reinhardt became one of the most successful TV producers in reality shows. which isn’t his dream. The missing freedom of his childhood inspired his love for pictures. Words are beautiful. Pictures even more. Motion pictures work the best for him. Until today he works as a filmmaker and producer. 20 years ago he found his passion for capturing one special motive as a photographer. During a period 10 years, he shot over 1024 EXIT signs. It started in 2008 in South Beach Miami and ended 2018 in New York. The first EXIT sign bears two lights on top, one broken. This EXIT sign reflected how to keep up: physically present, mentally not. From then on he couldn’t go anywhere without noticing EXIT signs. Florian is fascinated by their optic and perceived haptic. Also many times by their surroundings. The signs can be old, new, beat up or polished. They are always there. Everywhere. They reflect life. His life. Just looking at them they bring him back to many stops in his life. All over the world EXIT signs hang where life is writing its story and they always lead back out. For him EXIT is an opportunity to let go of daily compulsion to function, of the captivity of the imprinting of his personality. Next Exit comin’ soon. "What you see are my stories and my becoming. 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 pulling a trigger: it’s about the instinct and the speed. 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 at 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 at that moment and a lesson I learned. Exit is a way of opting out of unavoidable situations, physically present – mentally not. My “Exits” are the story of how I grew as a person and I want to give everyone the possibility 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 persons, which in the end is the ultimate scope of art." Florian Reinhardt lives and works in Cologne, Germany.