Echo Gone Wrong Photo reportage from the exhibition ‘The King of Beatbox’ by William Ludwig Lutgens at 427

A door ajar, a window frosted:
Strange figures gather, drawing near,
Their shadows twisted, bent and crossed,
To sip joy sauce, gone rancid here.

While deep in slumber, toxic-bound,
The horned beast dreams of glory’s sound,
His performance, a miraculous feat,
Where praise and triumph seemed complete:

btt-ktt-tbt-ktt
btt-ktt-tbt-ktt
B t K t t b K t t b K t t
b K t

PfdBdbBdbBdbPfdBdbBdbBdbPfdBdb
K f t K K f K f t K K f K f t f
B t K B t K B tKB t K tKPehKBKKBPehK hhhhh K k K

He wakes from dreams so grand and high
With horns that throb and make him sigh
Last night’s substance from hell’s dark store
And liquor spilled across the floor
The beatbox rhythm slips away
As courage fades in morning’s gray
His insecurities laid bare
Beneath the weight of raw despair:

– Luīze Nežberte

Exhibition title: The King of Beatbox
Artist: William Ludwig Lutgens
427, Riga, Latvia
31/01 – 1/03/2025

Photography: Līva Priedīte

Living in the Ceiling, a Beatbox Anthem, 2025. Spray paint, oil stick, and shellac ink on unstretched canvas, 220 × 415 cm

Joy Sauce in the Belly #2, 2025. Mixed media video installation: spray paint, oil stick, and shellac ink on unstretched can- vas; 43” monitor, 220 × 450 cm. Includes: “Joy Sauce”, 2025, film, 12 min

Double Agent Nosferatu, 2025. Spray paint, oil stick, and shellac ink on unstretched canvas, 220 × 510 cm

Installation view

Blow Me a Whistle, Baby, Bro, 2025. Shellac ink on Japanese mulberry paper, pinned on artist-made frame, 62 × 45 cm

Installation view

Living in the Ceiling, a Beatbox Anthem, 2025. Spray paint, oil stick, and shellac ink on unstretched canvas, 220 × 415 cm

Video from the opening performance