Exclusive Interview with Anne-Kristin Vaudour

 
Hello Dear Anne-Kristin Vaudour. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?

I’ve spent most of the Covid 19 period in Hong Kong and recently in Singapore. Both countries  were striving for a 0 -Covid policy with tough restrictions, especially when re-entering the country, which discouraged many people from travelling. However, since my mother is very unwell back in Germany, I continued to travel and several times, I had to stay in hotel quarantine, confined to a hotel room for 2 weeks. I am not good with being enclosed in a small space for an extended time. But luckily I had my art as an escape. As an artist, you can travel with your fantasy. I am not sure if these periods of quarantine have influenced my art but I certainly had the opportunity to dig deep into my subconscious mind.
 

What do you like most about being an artist?
 
It’s something I always wanted to do but only had the opportunity to dedicate myself to about 3 years ago. I have bottled up so many ideas that I can finally manifest on paper (or canvas etc). That feels quite liberating.
Art is communication. While painting, I have the sensation of learning a new language that allows me to connect on a visual level with whoever wants to get involved with my artistic expressions.
On a practical note, I love the independence (in all aspects), the creative process and listening to audio books or podcasts while I draw.

 
Since you have a certain theme on your Imperial Eyewear Collection, would you like to tell us how you came up with this amazing idea and what you wanted to tell us with them?

Digging in history is one of my passions. I am always on the hunt to uncover a mystery, secrets or a hidden story. Some historic portraits have a very special fascination for me. I study them in great detail, with attention to the dress, jewellery and accessories. Furthermore,  I research the background of the portrayed person, especially if that person is rather unknown. Every time it’s such an interesting journey back in time.
Sunglasses are an essential part of our wardrobe these days. But the use of sunglasses as a fashion statement started not earlier than in the 1940’s and 50’s.
In my Imperial Eyewear collection, I asked myself the question, what if the extravagant aristocracy of the past, who spent an extraordinary amount of money on their dress, hat or jewellery to underline their status, would have had access to modern day manufacturing of sunglasses? Or better, what if the idea of today’s eyewear fashion would have existed?
 
So I started to imagine to be the creator of eccentric eyewear for Marie Antoinette, Maria Theresa, Nefertiti, Giacomo Casanova and other fashion icons in history. I carefully took into consideration their personal style and wardrobe to represent a most authentic look.

 
What memorable responses have you had for your work?

I haven’t shown the Imperial Eyewear collection publicly yet, only to friends. One of my friends is very fascinated by the reflected image that’s visible in some of the glasses. I decided to have an additional narrative in some paintings by having something reflected in the glasses that relates to the person portrayed or to the moment of portraiture. I am glad she figured that out and she always watches out for the next creation to see what’s in the reflection. Others said it would be cool to have some of the eyewear produced, which could be an interesting thing to do.


Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Anne-Kristin Vaudour?

I am currently very fascinated with scientific illustrations that document the adventures of the victorian age. I study rare plants, creatures that live very deep in the sea and deep under the earth. It’s so fascinating. There is so much to uncover if we open our eyes to these wonders.
My new project will be a journey of marvel and discovery for the treasures of our earth.
 
 
 

 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/

Exclusive Interview with Molly Pi
(Marvelous Art Magazine June Issue – 2021)
 
Hello Dear Molly Pi. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Covid-19” affects your art?

Hello and thank you for having me. Covid-19 has indeed affected my process. As the pandemic hit Switzerland my activity as museum curator was compromised and I found myself facing the impossibility to exhibit – hence analyse within the context of a scientific publication – the works of other artists. My education trained me to look at images and artefacts and to analyse them from an art- and cultural historical perspective. In this sense, I can clearly state that for me the reception of any piece of work is strongly connected to knowledge rather than subjective emotion. This said, and to reply to your question, Covid-19 made me even more sceptical of the public institutions. I witnessed first-hand how public institutions reacted to the pandemic by, for instance, sacrificing the quality of the works’ content over their appearance and display. The art world – I am thinking about the art trends but also the artistic motivations  – depend more than ever on the economical dimension. I have in particular observed that the knowledge of culture(s) and history is becoming more and more obsolete. My art tries therefore to resume a highly (art)history focused attitude with the aim to encourage the autonomy of the artist’s discourse.


What is the hardest part of creating a painting?

For me the hardest part of creating a painting is building the most efficient thread between the conceptual image and the visual result. The struggle lies in trying to make the image – and my intentions behind it – as clear as possible. Since a large part of my works actually resides in the idea, I don’t want the latter to be lost during the process. Of course, I am well aware that at least a fragment of the work’s reception will necessarily depend on the viewer, since we all face reality with the tools we already possess. But, on the other hand, this is exactly the reason why I can’t afford to be misunderstood. As a scholar, I know very well that there are rules to write an essay as to make it as clear as possible: the epistemology needs to be stated, the choice of the subject needs to be justified, the methodology needs to be presented, the sources need to be analysed first-hand, the research needs to be feasible. It may sound very oppressive but the objective is to communicate with a common language, even within the context of a debate. This is the same spirit that fuels the creation of my images: I wish for my message to be seen and understood as objectively as possible.


How do you choose the subject of your painting? And what is your artwork exploring, underneath everything?

The choice of the subject is the part that I feel as the most connected to my intimacy: it’s the phase that stirs my emotions and requires meditation. Since I first stated drawing – as a child – the process has always been about looking inside oneself to unravel tensions and mysteries of the mind. I was always very sensitive and very subjective to (auto)destructive thoughts and it took me a very long time to understand my actions and myself. My subjects are always a manifestation of the themes that guide me the most: the femme fatale; the ecce donna motif; the vanitas; and alchemy. All themes these are deeply rooted in my identity, and I will try to briefly explain how. The femme fatale is my first interest. The femme fatale is a sort of archetype that can be found across time, cultures and the media. I primarily draw cultural elements from the Western 19th-century context, where the “revival” of such figure is closely related to female sexuality. By drawing femmes fatales I wish to validate the individual and collective awareness of female sexual expression. The second theme, ecce donna, is a sort of counter-point of the femme fatale. It’s no secret that a liberated self-expression may lead to suffering and violence – mental and physical. Following the spiritual example of the Passion and the tradition of the Devotional Images, this theme aims to always conceive suffering as a sacrifice worth enduring in order to transmit a message. Thirdly, I show an interest for the vanitas. It’s a motif that helped me progress a lot: as a reminder of the ephemerality of life, I see vanitas paintings as comforting images. They feel like sweet whispers saying: “everything is going to be okay”. My fourth focus is around the spiritual discipline of Alchemy. Expression, sacrifice and vanitas all participate to the search for a coherent sense of self, which in my view is embodied by the alchemical Magmum Opus.


What is your creative process like?

The creative process always starts with a personal feeling. This feeling is often obscure and confused: time and reflection are required to understand its shape and nature. Being able to understand and manage my emotions was never among my strongest assets, and even today I strongly rely on “solving” whatever mental process could have generated instability. Detachment becomes a key moment of the creative process. I compare my first feeling, which is the trigger, to a burning flame. By sitting still and venturing into myself I can progressively abandon my emotions, my chaotic thoughts and my material shell to find collective images able to say my message with clear and recognisable signs. I strongly believe in avoiding an entirely ego-centred process because our subjectivity will never even remotely equal the largeness of history. There is so much knowledge out there and life is short compared to the infinite. Molly Pi is my sage avatar: an explorer of the infinite dimension, a simple but dedicated woman meticulously travelling along the figures of the π (pi) number. This way, I can sit still while the flame burns and I can deliver new images by putting together pieces of the past.


Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Molly Pi?

Yes, of course. I am working on creating a body of narrative images, with the aim to illustrate stories. I want to “soften” my usual compositions and allow myself to leave some empty spaces. Within the context of a story – i.e. a work composed by multiple images – I will feel more comfortable in diluting the contents in each image and experiment with only small hints of a larger message.
 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/

Hello Dear Darian Lu. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?

One of some positive aspects of quarantine was that it gave me a lot of time to reflect on all the projects I created in the past, the roles that I took that contributed to who I am as an architect and artist today. When I revisited my previous works, I also created mixed media collages - positioning previous work in a new “canvas”. It was a bit like time and space traveling for me, when in reality travel was restricted.


What is your dream project?

To design and build an underground yet sunny getaway house for myself.


Which artists are you most influenced by?

The artists that I resonated the most with are Marina Abramovic, Björk and Alexander McQueen. I was reading a lot about Abramovic’s work and creating process while creating my first performance, and eventually helped me get into the mindset I needed to have.


What do you like most about being an artist?

What I enjoy most is the creative process where I take my thoughts and ideas, and bring them to life visually. Through artworks, my thoughts and ideas can reach a wide range of audience than I am able to meet.


Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Darian Lu?

I always want to create another performance that engages the audience. It’s going to be interesting to perform in public with the audience involved, after the pandemic.

Exclusive Interview with
Théotime Ritzenthaler
(Marvelous Art Magazine May Issue – 2021)
 
 
Hello Dear Théotime Ritzenthaler. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?

 Thank you, My pleasure. I am currently in Sweden, in the middle of the forest, so the quarantine is a very distant thought here. My work has barely been affected, The common Workshop had to close for 2 weeks, but it's been the only disruption of my workflow.

How has your practice changed over time?

I have been working with metal for 6 years and a lot has changed in that time. I went from a very craft oriented practice, learning techniques and skills, to one driven by an artistic process now. Esthetics are my only interest, as in how things look and their expressions,  and metal is my chosen media because i enjoy the workflow it offers, but I don't apply “proper” craft techniques. Using my knowledge of the material, i follow an artistic experimentation process, learning from each sketch in the material and applying what I learn to the next one.
 
Which current art world trends are you following?

I am mostly interested in 3 dimensional work. I enjoy especially abstact pieces that are expression focused, for exemple work from the contemporary art scene that combines disturbing esthetics with unclear narratives, engaging with the viewer in some sort of guessing game about the story behind the object.
 
Can you tell us what is important about these projects to you?

Inevitability is my first finished body of work, I learned a lot while working on this project. In Nostalgia, The process was way more relaxed  because i had a clearer idea of my own way of working. I don't delve into self-satisfaction, so when a project is over, i just transition to the next one and try to improve my process.

Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Théotime Ritzenthaler?

It's hard to say, my work is not really planned in advance. I work in the present and one experiment after another, But I am currently working on a new series of works combining the expression of “Nostalgia” and Industrial or machined parts.
 
 
 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/

Hello Dear Matthias Lück. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?

Thank you for the interest in my work and the opportunity to present myself, I live with my wife and our dog in a rather rural area around Berlin with a lot of space in forests and fields. So, the quarantine only had a limited impact on my freedom of movement. It is of course not possible to hide from this pandemic and therefore something of the tension and feelings of the moment is sure to seep into my work. Many personal experiences and current events from the world of politics are reflected in my work. For me, painting or making art in general is an important way to explain things I don't understand and to process events. In short, art keeps me from eating all the madness of the world into myself and accepting everything indifferently. Art is my way of communicating with the world.  


What memorable responses have you had to your work?

There are really no really memorable reactions. I like to talk about art and of course also about mine, whether mine is delighted or horrified is secondary. The most beautiful moments are the moments when people tell me their story about my work, often their interpretations are more imaginative and deeper than I could ever imagine. This creates situations in which people see their life story in one of my pictures and still contact me months or even years later to find out when and where they can visit an exhibition again.


How have you developed your career?

At some point I started with friends to explore the abandoned buildings and areas of the NVA and the LPG, there we all had time to paint walls and walls and so brought color into a long-forgotten world. I found pleasure in designing with spray paint and quickly expanded my repertoire and so brushes and acrylic paints were added. A few years later I began to transfer what I had learned to canvases and over time slipped into a more figurative representation up to the landscapes and stories that I am trying to depict today. Today I am happy about every invitation to an art event where I am allowed to paint and I enjoy going to exhibitions by artist friends. I am self-taught and quite proud of it.


How do you navigate the art world?

I'm more like a small child on the beach, with my head bowed, I move on the border between the sea and the sandy beach. If a wave comes then I jump a little further on the beach and if I notice a beautiful shell or a stone then I bend down and pick it up. At the end of the day at the beach I have many small, beautiful pieces in my bucket that may seem meaningless to other viewers. What I mean by that is that the art market is so infinitely large and confusing that every piece and everyone has their right to exist. The totality of everything makes up the beautiful sandy beach. Of course, there is a dump and other rubbish thrown away here and there, but somehow that too belongs to the art world.


Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Matthias Lück?

Since the days are getting warmer again, I can dedicate myself to two commissioned works in the outdoor area that I would like to complete. There are also a few pieces of work with different materials that need to be completed. For me personally, I always hope to find someone to exhibit my work and possibly a permanent representation through a gallery.
Thank you and everyone stay healthy out there!

Exclusive Interview with Franck Besançon
 
(Marvelous Art Magazine April Issue – 2021)
 
 
Hello Dear Franck Besançon. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?
 
 
Hello Marvelous Art Gallery, and thank you for this interview.
 
The situation gave me a lot of time to think and reflect on my habits and routine, allowing me to reevaluate my priorities, my desires - as I’m sure it did for so many people over the world. This led me to allocate more time to being creative (and playing video games a little less).
I don't think that lockdown and the covid crisis have directly influenced my creations in terms of message or design, but it has definitely triggered a desire to produce more work.
 
 
 
 
How has your practice change over time?
 
Each creation is a step forward. It's important for me to experiment with new techniques and learn new things.
What's interesting about 3D is that each creation serves as raw material for the next one. I take elements that I have sculpted, polishing them through each iteration. It’s a very organic process! Between my old creations and the recent ones, the level of detail has increased, as has my understanding of the anatomy.
 
 
 
 
Which current art world trends are you following?
 
Nearly not enough; it’s such a vast world! I was lucky enough to discover and join the Dark Art Society, a cooperative of artists led by Chet Zar. This group is such a fantastic source of influences and talents that never cease to amaze me.
At the moment, the art world trends that I follow remain largely in this dark arts theme.
 
Outside of art, I look at everything that is trending - my job as a motion designer asks me to understand the growing trends, but it's mainly within the design aspect.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Can you tell us what is important about these projects to you?
 
I am self-taught. I’ve always liked to draw, to create monsters, yet I started to show all this to the general public relatively late. My projects are very important to me because they directly materialize what I like, my desires, and my dreams.
Showcasing my personal work has been a huge step for me!
Since I’ve started creating more actively, I have come into contact with many fabulous artists, some of whom have directly influenced me. This is extremely rewarding and motivating.
So here it is, creating is vital for me; it gives me an instant feeling of happiness, an honest and deep satisfaction, which is very good for my mental health :)
 
 
 
Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Franck Besançon?
 
For the moment, I will continue to flesh out the universe I’ve been building. I have a lot of ideas for scenes and characters to add to the overall story. What you can expect are new characters from my mythology, pivotal scenes, and even cosmic deities!
And maybe I'll be looking more closely at 3D printers this year :)
 
  
 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/

 
Exclusive Interview with Vilma Leino

(Marvelous Art Magazine April Issue – 2021)
 
 
Hello Dear Vilma Leino . Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?

Hello and thank you for having me. I would say that quarantine has affected my art a lot. I started taking self-portraits when the quarantine started and all of the sudden it became my main form of creating. Solitude inspires me and working alone with my camera and props creates an environment where I feel free and i’m able to express my true self. 
 
 
What memorable responses have you had to your work?

One of the best responses I have gotten have been moments when i’m able to observe the viewers reaction to my art. Using humour and playful details in my work is important for me, so amused facial expression and sometimes even laughter have been one of the greatest responses. I love to see a smile on a persons face while they are looking at my art. 
 
 
How have you developed your career?
 
My career has been developed with love and disciplined way of working. It’s important for me to work as much as possible and push myself, but in the terms of the love that I have towards photography. I started developing my career quite young, recently and fast, but I also gave myself enough time to grow as an artist and to find my own approach. I moved to Berlin in August 2019, because for me it’s the most inspiring city in the world. That was definitely a milestone for my career.
 
 
 
How do you navigate the art world?

I stay true to my work and I try not to leave space for self-doubt. 
 
 
 
Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Vilma Leino?

For me photography and ideas for pictures are a process that is born subconsciously, like an impulse. I never really know what comes up next. I follow spontaneous ideas that pop into my head and that’s how everything starts. 
 
 
 
 
 
http://marvelousartgallery.com/

Hello Dear Alexandra Sheren. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?


Actually, surprising as it may sound, but it is giving me lots of new opportunities. First of all the ability to slow down and listen what wants to be heard inside of me. I think listening is the most important thing for any kind of art, but we don’t always have enough space and time for listening ourselves. So now can be a moment to start mastering it.
 
 
 
 
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to choose art as a career?


I have been doing art for as long as I can remember myself. Photography and music were my favorite. I studied art critics for one year but then decided I would better pursue language and creative writing… Eventually, life has turned me back to visual art again when I realised that writing was not enough for me to tell a story. I am not sure I can say I have chosen art as a career. In the end, art has chosen me. And I think this is true about all artists whose priority is telling a story, not making money.
 
 
 

Which of your artworks are you most proud of?


This question made me smile. I am not proud of any. I love them all. Some are more intimate for me, others are more artistic. I am open about my own style and creative process. I guess I do have certain patterns that I follow in my work. But I am not attached to being recognisable, I am more attached to going with the flow. So when I can go with the flow and when I am spontaneous that is when I feel accomplished.
 
 
 
 
Could you describe your normal day as an artist?


It is always different. If I shoot in the studio it is one kind of day, if I am working with Photoshop or video editing it is another kind of day. I love starting projects early in the morning, and sit with it through the day, watching how it is unfolding in front of me. But I sometimes start very late and night and can’t go to sleep until I finish.
 
 
 
 
Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Alexandra Sheren?


I guess I rather take it all as a continuum. Not sure if it is next, or already happening. I work on several projects right now. One of them is in cinematography, and it takes pretty much all of my energy. 
 
 
 

Hello Dear Barbara Vandendriessche. Thank you for giving us the chance to Interview with you. Our first question is how the “Quarantine” affects your art?

The quarantaine effects every human being for the moment: in our work situation, in our relations with family and friends, in our ability to do what we want to do: travel, enjoy free time, go to the sports, practice our hobby’s. Also for me that’s a burden, but it doensn’t affects my art, I think. It has been decelerating my shoots with models during the first lockdown. But that gave me the time to work deeper on editing, transforming existing images. I learnt morde about brushes in photoshop and made improvements in digital art.
Out of those exercisss came ‘Floating Beauties’, individuals floating through darkness. But in a seaking or exploring way. The series is not heavy, although the background is very dark. The movement of the bodies is rather light. For me it was a kind of methaphor of how I tried to experience the lockdown: being in strange times but trying to explore new paths.
 
In these strange and unusual times, what do you find is the most challenging part about being an Artist?

It is true that in these times things are put in a different daylight, opinions are polarized. But many people understood that living on in a rat race perhaps isn’t the right choice. Now that we aren’t able to come together and enjoy music, theatre, art in general, people realise that art isn’t just an thing on the side. For many people it is crucial in our way of living, it is an escape of daily life, a questioning of civilisation, pure amusement also, consolation maybe.
For me, it is a relief to be an artist in these times. I wander whether I would be able to miss creating or experiencing art so much during a year. Lots of friends of mine are actors and they are waiting for almost a year to play, to act, to do their job! It is a privilege to be able to escape real life and create beauty, confort, alternatives. I hope that, even by only sharing some of my work on facebook or instagram I can share some little ‘shots of beauty’, some ‘fragile little worlds’ in times where people need that more than ever.

We are seeing  dark themes stand out in your works. Can you tell us your artistic vision and what inspires you to work with your theme?

I worked for 20 years as a director and set designer at the theater. But more and more, photography, which I initially regarded as a sideline, invaded my professional path. I discovered how my experience within the theater influenced the language of my photography and experienced a sense of “back to basics”, of re-sourcing. In order to be able to clarify this more, I decided to leave the black box in 2017 and tell my story on the basis of photos and sculptures. My photos are often staged and focus on physicality, emotion or expression. They look for a physical and psychological vulnerability. My sculptures are a study of damage, both in the use of matter and in the expression of an emotionality. The broken, the damaged, the unfinished and confused are represented in different ways through heads and bodies. Yet there is always a “sparkle”, sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally, perceptible.
 
My photography is theatrical. But ‘theatricality’ is an elastic concept and also has many negative connotations: bombastic, exaggerated, false or artificial. That’s not my theatricality. This is how I define it: theatralization is the abstracting and enlargement of reality to evoke emotion in the viewer, not through reason, but directly appealing to an approach that can be traced to our ritual instincts. Theatricality as a pre-aesthetic instinct.
That is what I try to represent with my photography: how to portray the emotional body tragically? How to create a tragic image that expresses emotion and triggers emotion? Search for images with an intensity, no images with intentions. Images you look at because they tell you something, even if you do not immediately know what. Images that evoke a story, without being narrative themselves. Often with the female body as an expression of beauty.
 
What advice would you give to your younger self?

I would advice to be less humble, to be wanting to please less. You can’t do well to everybody. Your intuïtion is a preciuos gift: listen to it. Don’t think others are better than you just because they have bigger mouthes.
 
Can you give us a spoiler on what’s coming next for Barbara Vandendriessche?

For the moment I am working on photographs that are pure and perhaps sober for me, but that links the human body with subtile natural elements. But still in a artificial setting. By combining the body with an element of nature, I can focus more on nature than when putting a body in real nature, I think. Or rather, I am exploring the idea for the moment.
In june starts the international biennal summer photofestival “Lens op de mens” in Pelt, Belgium. I am one of the 5 invited photographers that show work on a specific place in the city, next to all the other participants that are shown in gardens and open places all over Pelt. I will be showing there the result of the photographs I am working on now. I don’t know yet what the title will be. Someting with nature perhaps? To be continued…