by Erich
Status: 04.18.2024
You are the Student Art Market’s Artist of the Month. Congratulations! Where and what are you studying?
Thank you. I’m studying Fine Art at the HFBK Dresden under Prof. Macketanz. Which is a painting class.
How would you summarise your work in one sentence?
That’s a really tricky question – I’d say: “A portal to various abstract, otherworldly places where there is much to discover and which invites the viewer on an adventure”
What materials and techniques do you prefer to work with?
I love oil paints and linen; I can’t do without these materials. Even though they’ve been around for ages as a medium, I love their prestige and versatility. I’m also currently working with a wide variety of techniques, with glazing – that is, applying wafer-thin layers of paint one on top of the other – playing a particularly significant and important role in my work.
Where do you find your sources of inspiration?
It varies quite a lot. On the one hand, there are the everyday things we take for granted, but which can still fascinate us if we pay them more attention. Then there are the infinite expanses above our heads and all the adventures that are likely still hidden there.
What was the last exhibition that inspired you?
By far, it was the Green Brown exhibition ‘The Real Thing’ in Hanover; the colour palette of the works and the compositions in the lines were simply very inspiring.
Which motifs are essential in your work?
Freedom, adventure and uncertainty are three themes that recur time and again in my work. For me, it’s important that, through my pictures, I encourage the viewer to intuitively sense one of these themes. To give them the urge to keep looking at the picture in order to make the feeling it triggers within them more tangible, or simply to take pleasure in discovering the picture.
You also work a lot with collages – what does this medium mean to you?
The whole thing with the collages was born out of necessity. I’d forgotten my drawing materials but had to attend the anatomical drawing class. So I improvised and quickly gathered together whatever I could find at university to work with. In the end, I found myself sitting in the anatomical drawing class with a permanent marker and a funny POCKET BOOK, and that’s how I discovered a completely new medium for myself. This allowed me to enter into a dialogue with the pages. From the story each page told to the colour scheme of the chapter, there were so many ways to engage with my canvas, which immediately captivated me.
What role does science fiction play in your work?
I’d say it
plays
a rather significant role. I’ve loved science fiction stories ever since I was a child. Seeing on the big screen how ideas and ingenuity opened up completely new doors to endless, unimagined possibilities within the cinematic universe. I hoped that one day I’d be able to play a part in that world too. I don’t think that’s changed much so far. I’d still love to have a lightsaber, my very own R2-D2 and a vehicle that I could use to take the occasional trip into space on Wednesdays. Which, of course, is often reflected in my pictures.
What topics are you currently exploring?
In short, Chladni’s sound figures, the transience of all things, Hubble Telescope images, and whether the opposite of pregnancy really is a dead grandad in a rucksack.
Where do you paint?
Fortunately, I paint in my studio at the HfbK Dresden. Otherwise, my work-life balance would completely ruin me. When I’m painting, I’m completely in the ZONE for 8–9 hours; if I weren’t kicked out or hadn’t set up a workspace at home, I’d probably just stop sleeping altogether until a painting was finished.
Your works are very diverse – sometimes figurative, sometimes abstract. Where do these differences come from?
I think the differences stem from various influences. But most likely from the time gap that separates most of the works. At the start of my degree, I painted a lot of humorous figurative pictures, behind which I was also hiding a little as a serious painter. At that time, I wanted to improve my technique through a large volume of figurative work.However, as my studies progressed, this led me down a dead end. At the same time, I began my series ‘The Art of Practice’, in which I engage in a dialogue with comic-book pages and attempt to create exciting compositions using only simple geometric shapes. After producing nearly 400 works in the series and taking a break from painting, I reflected on the dead end I had reached. In doing so, I came to the conclusion that the best way forward was to tear down all the foundations of my painting and rebuild them from scratch. This is how the current series, SPACE;, came about.
When you’re not painting, what do you get up to?
Then I play my guitar and jam away, or meet up with friends for D&D evenings, play video games, or read the blurb on books at Thalia whilst waiting for the film to come out.
How did you come to be involved in the Student Art Market, and what has been your experience?
Actually, it was purely by chance. A fellow student who’d moved from Alanus to the HfbK told me about SKM, and that sparked my interest in popping round and giving it a go. As for what brought us here, I was welcomed into the SKM FAMILY and feel very much at home here. So much so that I’ll be making myself comfortable here with you lot for a while longer. So I hope we can continue to work well together.
Have you had any special experiences with a customer?
Off the top of my head, one customer springs to mind.She ordered prints from The Art of Practice series and was so full of anticipation – I’d say she was practically bursting with excitement – that I, too, was immediately filled with anticipation that they’d reach her quickly. Ever since then, I’ve been receiving little messages via Erich about how much she’s enjoying the works, which always brightens up my day.
Is there anything else you’d like to share or tell us?
Actually, I’d like to take this opportunity to invite the SKM lot to an exhibition, so if you fancy seeing my pictures in the flesh and would like to chat to me about my work, please do come along to the group exhibition ‘i Wander all night’ on 25 April at 6 pm for the opening at the Künstlerquartier Bethanien in Berlin. I’d love to see lots of you there!
