How do you describe your own art practice?
My process sometimes can be very frustrating because I am not the kind of artist that just starts to make stuff, but I sit around and think a lot before it becomes something concrete to work with. It happens a lot that people around me think I am being lazy, that I am not doing anything, but most of the process is not visible and manifests in my head. The making is often a struggle, but I really enjoy developing the ideas by just thinking about possibilities. I consider my art practice to be a form of positive rebellion. I like to play around with contradictions, oxymorons in language and objects. My work is often humorous, because for me the process of making art and the way humor works are quite the same. Content and form often depicts the material and media, so the work can be an installation, sculpture, photo, video and even just text.
What was your first experience with art?
Probably flipping through books that my parents had and looking at the pictures.
What is your greatest source of inspiration?
Mainly just strolling around, going to the hardware store and looking at functional objects trying to read them differently. But most of my ideas come to mind when I am doing very uninteresting things like sitting on the toilet or standing underneath the shower. I like to sit in my studio and find a state of boredom and listen to music and stare.
What do you need in order to create your work?
In the end it’s unfortunately always money, but luckily most of my process is scribbling ideas in my sketchbook till I get the idea just right, before I go over to realizing the work. But what I need most is headspace and a form of boredom so ideas can pop up.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am currently working on a selection of works that I create around the idea “I am currently working and living”, because that’s exactly what I am doing (everyone is). There’s somehow a lot of fire involved 🙂 But I think mostly it’s about my struggle of making things… about time, life and memories.
What work or artist has most recently surprised you?
I recently swapped a work with Tanja Ritterbex. I love looking at the painting which is now hanging in my living room. She’s a great artist.
