How do you describe your own art practice?
Most prominent in my work is the visual experience of physical processes and substances – of “matter” as such. I’m interested in the physical quality of matter in general and the perception of the digital space through the usage of material in particular. By using different materials I transform digital phenomena into more perceivable, solid shapes – mostly into installations or assembled in a way that they are perceived as installations or sculptural works.
Through my art practice I try to set up not only a relation between the art works and the particular space in which they are presented, but also I create a kind of dialogue between the space and the spectator.
Which question or theme is central in your work?
I constantly search for new ways to translate digital conditions or observations about the digital sphere to a physical environment.
This jump from the digital to the material – the “materialization of matter” – can be observed in all my late works. Since the beginning of my artistic practice I’ve been trying to make “the phenomenal” apparent; by using colours, lights and surfaces of various materials.
What was your first experience with art?
Among my first museum visits and experiences with art exhibitions I particularly remember an exhibition of James Turrel at the IVAM in 2004. It marked a new stage of understanding and relating to art for me. I would even say that this exhibition beamed me to a place I had never been before. It was probably that moment when I started to be aware of the sensorial power of art and the close connection it has to the world I’m living in, so this awareness has been present in all of my investigations ever since.
What is your greatest source of inspiration?
My observation of daily life; the close look at what surrounds us, our society, the way we communicate,… Sometimes my observations luckily coincide with my current line of investigation, so I can bring them together.
Observing my environment in search of the duality of the physical and the digital; the tangible and the intangible, as well as the mechanisms of the perception of natural light – those are all emphases and concepts that guide me through daily life and make me imagine how any routine might be transformed through new technologies.
What do you need in order to create your work?
I need each of my works to be a transmission of an idea, concept or experience. Usually I find connections between my personal perception, or drive by a more spontaneous idea or intuition and the artistic practice. For that I need space and time in my studio in order to create a working environment which makes it easy to organize my thoughts.
Apart from that, it is essential for the production of my work to have a type of industrial network that consists of excellent professionals and functions as an extension of my studio.
What work or artist has most recently surprised you?
I was surprised by the exhibition “Time is Thirsty”, curated by Luca Lo Pinto in Wien at Kunsthalle Wien. The experience was completely absorbing; capturing each piece as an independent artwork from the beginning, being gradually introduced to installations and objects which equally worked as individual pieces as in a flawless conjunction.
I found it very interesting how it was a unique example of an expansive art installation, that combined language, smell, sound, artefacts and items of daily use.
