04/09/2018
Who are you?
Lisa
Where are you?
I’m in Vienna right now doing Erasmus but I normally study at Karlsruhe Academy of Fine Arts.
What are you researching/interested in?
I’m interested in the gap between 2D and 3D and the visible and the invisible. At the moment I do cut-outs, so I cut out of things then you just see the leftovers meaning the content is more or less gone. I try to create a balance between the things that are cut out and the things that are left over. A sort of negative and positive.
I’m interested in fragility; the objects are often hanging from the ceilings or they are moving due to the wind blowing them. You end up questioning if it could stand or hang on its own? In the next moment it could be completely blown apart. I suppose its its also a little bit surrealist…
I like them to look as if they are simultaneously flying but also standing, always in between being completely fixed at one point but having the possibility it could also just take off. Being able to imagine it being able to fly away if it were in another world. My work is always mainly about being in between two worlds.
What is your artwork (specific/general) trying to say?
There are aspects of theatre in my work. I think a lot about the room and the visitor whilst doing sculpture – their height and how they would interact with the sculptures. The person who is seeing my forms, anticipating what they imagine and playing with it. Asking how the viewer changes the sculpture in their mind through viewing and psychologically interacting with it. This is really the last point I think about in the process though, at the end when exhibiting. Before this its just about finding the form.
Who is your artwork for?
I think the work is first of all for myself. Its for experimenting, making, exploring materials, getting into different workshops, learning new things about my interests and having fun. During the process I completely change. I don’t have an initial idea and just follow through with it, its constantly changing.
About the viewer? Its important for me that they have this moment when seeing my art where it becomes like a book, where they can enter another world or just get into my way of thinking. That would be the best!
Could you explain a pivotal artwork of yours?
Before art school I always did paintings. I never tired sculpture until I had a workshop in concrete. I just thought I would make body parts in concrete and steel and once I did that I thought “Hmm ok it needs hair.” then I just tried it out. Once I had finished I realised, “Oh my God, maybe I’m a sculptor!” Nowadays though I think I’m drawn towards sculpture, but wouldn’t consider myself solely a sculptor.
It was really important to be forced into doing this first workshop because I then realised I was capable of doing other things. In the beginning I would have this fear when in
front of new machines or materials. I would think “Shit I need to be an expert” before even starting a project. I felt like a fool because I didn’t know anything about wood or metal, but now I’m not afraid to go into the workshops and ask questions.
There was a time when I thought I went to university too early and had missed this foundation of knowledge of a certain material. Then I thought ok… I don’t have time to do that, I can just learn it here! I realised I don’t have to be an expert in everything because there are technicians who I can ask. Once I got over this fear I just tried everything out, but it took a long time to get into this easygoing mindset.
Can you give one piece of advice?
I think its good to take part in every workshop possible while you are in art school. My thinking is that you never know what could happen or which material you will want to express yourself with in the future. Thats what I do; I express myself in the material I want to use rather than sticking only to the materials I have experience with. I started with this concrete workshop for my studies and its all gone WOOSH from there! Now I try new things out a lot. My professor in Vienna said in class meetings to try and become more curious and search for a deeper understanding of your interests. For example, if you are walking through the city and notice something that is attracting you, ask yourself why you like it? This should then help you understand how you see the world.
Which exhibition have you liked recently?
There is this ongoing Cy Twombly exhibition in Munich at Museum Brandhorst. I liked that a lot. Oh and I really liked an exhibition of Kiki Smith at the Haus Der Kunst. There was a great film where she was being interviewed and speaking about her work. I knew her work already so that wasn’t super impressive but seeing how she works as an artist was interesting. A filmmaker followed her over a certain period of time, and you can see the world she’s living in. Cy Twombly? Oh I like everything. I really liked his sculptures, they’re fragile and not really working or stable. I like his gesture.
Whats next?
Our exhibition together! (SXB FKB LHR) Then a holiday. Oh and I want to make a film, but I’m not sure how I will do it. I thought about doing an abstract video which could express the same thoughts I have in sculptures and try to show this in pictures. I have done a few videos before but always short clips.
Could you recommend three artists?
Evelyn Platsch
Denis Kudrjasov @kvdrysov Exhibition
Katinka Eichhorn Exhibition
