/INTERVIEW

Text: I r i n a  R u s i n o v i c h

Benjamin Kühnemund, Berlin, 2022, copyright Nadine Dinter, courtesy HAZEGALLERY

Ben, Berlin 2022, copyright Nadine Dinter, courtesy HAZEGALLERY

Traegi, Cologne, 2022, copyright Nadine Dinter, courtesy HAZEGALLERY

How did you come up with the idea for the exhibition?
In 2012, I curated a photo show for the New York artist duo The Hilton Brothers. One of them was Christopher Makos, a longtime friend of Andy Warhol who documented his life in photographs. Of course, during our work together and in most of his interviews, he spoke about Andy Warhol. Part of his travel crew was the former erotic art model Benjamin Godfre, with whom I clicked pretty quickly, chatting about LA, photography, and Warhol. We especially loved Warhol’s series Torsos and decided to take some pictures together. The rest is history.

What theme do you pursue in this exhibition?
In my show Torso Reloaded, I explore male nudes and how the current generation stages and adorns itself.Over the course of four months (January to April 2022), I photographed six young men, asking them to take poses that seemed typical for their personality and profession. They include a slick skater, a professional model,a wrestler, a photographer, and a fitness trainer. The images I took of Godfre from 2012 are also included in the show.

What is your favorite piece of artwork in the exhibition, and why?
That’s impossible for me to say – I love them all – and each one is special in its own way.

How could you tell when this series was finished?
It was finished this spring, in April 2022.

Do you have a funny or interesting story from your work on this project?
One of the 2022 models has the logo of my all-time favorite band HIM, tattooed above his crotch – it was a nice coincidence, as I discovered that only after we started to shoot. You can see some of those images in the show, too.

Benjamin Godfre, 1, Berlin, 2012, copyright Nadine Dinter, courtesy HAZEGALLERY

Eric, Berlin 2022, copyright Nadine Dinter, courtesy HAZEGALLERY

Alexander Schuktuew, Berlin 2022, copyright Nadine Dinter, courtesy HAZEGALLERY

Where can I go to see more of your work?
Most works, also from other series plus all my travel impressions, can be found on my IG account @dinterphotography. I also recently created a little website with more information about myself, my photography background, and the different series. Feel free to visit www.dinterphotography.de

Dr. Matthias Harder, director and curator of the Helmut Newton Foundation, photo David von Becker

Text: L y u b o v  M e l n i c k o w a

Thank you for taking the time to interview! We are glad to welcome you to PURPLE HAZE magazine. Before asking questions about Helmut Newton Foundation, I would like to know more about you as the director and curator HNF.

Tell us a little about yourself. How did you come to be a curator?

My path was almost classical, but also playful. While still studying art history at the Free University of Berlin, I specialized in the medium of photography, wrote my master’s and doctoral theses on photographic subjects, which was still somewhat exotic at the time, in the 1990s. In 1995 I started organizing parallel photo exhibitions in Berlin at the Neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst (NGBK), and I opened an off-space in Berlin for all artistic media, with a focus on installation art. In 2000 I became guest curator at the Munich Photomuseum and co-curated the retrospectives of Herbert List and Stefan Moses, which subsequently toured internationally for years, which I partly accompanied. Afterwards I directed an art association near Hamburg for almost two years, then in early 2004 I joined the Helmut Newton Foundation, which had just been founded by Newton in Berlin – and stayed until today.

Dr. Matthias Harder, director and curator of the Helmut Newton Foundation, photo David von Becker

When did you first encounter the work of Helmut Newton?

I was already interested in photography as a teenager, I took photographs myself, I had my own darkroom – and it was also the time I encountered Newton’s great works, almost automatically. Thus, I bought the two Newton publications „Portraits“ and „Big Nudes“ relatively early, of course without suspecting that I would later get to present his original photographs in many international exhibitions and write about them.

Personally, do you have a favorite work HN and why this particular work?

It’s probably hard for anyone to name favorite works by Helmut Newton, because he created so many extraordinary and iconic images and shaped our visual collective memory as few other colleagues have. Personally, of course, I know far more of Newton’s photographs than the average exhibition visitor, as I have been working intensively with his archive, which is housed in our foundation, for the past 18 years. If I had to pick just one motif from his three main genres, however, I would name the double portrait of David Lynch and Isabella Rossellini from 1988, because it psychologically congenially condenses the ambivalence of their relationship, and „Arielle after Haircut“ from 1982, because it is one of the most sensual pictures I know, and „16th Arrondissement“ a fashion photograph for French Vogue from 1975, which looks like a snapshot, but as always was perfectly composed and staged by Newton, with the two models also playing their roles magnificently.

„Someone’s photos are art. But not mine. If they are ever going to be exhibited in a gallery or museum, I don’t mind. But that’s not why I make them. I am a gun for hire!“ What do you think is the uniqueness of Helmut Newton’s works?

Newton explored the possibilities of the medium of photography like no other and transcended genre boundaries, first and foremost with his fashion stagings in timeless elegance. Innovative in all aspects of his work, Newton became famous for his spectacular photographs of clothed and unclothed women, with which he also succeeded in pushing existing taboo boundaries. The countless publications of his fashion and nude photographs in the most renowned international magazines also reflect the changes in the social role of women in the second half of the 20th century in the Western world. In Newton’s work, it is often unclear where reality ends and staging begins; everything becomes a confusing game of power and seduction. With his sometimes radical, but also subtly elegant images of women, Helmut Newton was often ahead of the zeitgeist – and at the same time helped to shape it for decades.

What brought you to the Helmut Newton Foundation?

We met in Berlin in December 2003, arranged through a mutual acquaintance, and we had a very good talk for hours. Newton told me about his plans for the foundation and, at the end of the conversation, asked me if I would like to lead the foundation as a curator – I instantly agreed.

Lobby view at the Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin, copyright Stefan Müller

HNF was established in 2004. How has the art market changed since that time? What difficulties are gallery owners, artists, photographers experiencing in Berlin at the moment?

When we opened the Museum of Photography with a double exhibition in June 2004, a very lively art and photography scene was also established in Berlin at the same time. Since then, many artists have come to the city – and stayed. But in the meantime, it has become increasingly difficult to find affordable studios or gallery space here as well, and many gallery owners have moved within the city, some have even given up entirely; the whole scene is on the move. There are still many creative niches to make and offer art, at every level, and Berlin’s blue-chip galleries like Max Hetzler, Esther Schipper, Johann König, neugerriemschneider or Sprüth Magers are still finding enough customers.

How are museums connected with the art market?

In Germany, this connection is only indirect. Of course, the most important works of art in terms of art history ultimately end up in the museum, but few institutions have a decent acquisition budget and go shopping in the renowned galleries. Instead, paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, or installations are often acquired by museum circles of friends and private collectors and then donated to the museum collections.

Installation view, HOLLYWOOD, Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin 2022, photo Gerhard Kassner

Berlin is considered the artistic capital of Europe. Is this really the case? What is the difference between Berlin’s art spaces and similar venues in other art cities, such as London or New York, for example?

The art and culture scene in Berlin has been incredibly diverse for years, it’s a unique, great mix of high and low. But it’s similar in Paris, London and New York, I wouldn’t want to define a ranking here.

On 2 June 2022, the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin opened its new exhibition “HOLLYWOOD” featured works by Eve Arnold, Anton Corbijn, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Michael Dressel, George Hoyningen-Huene, Jens Liebchen, Ruth Harriet Louise, Inge Morath, Helmut Newton, Steve Schapiro, Julius Shulman, Alice Springs, and Larry Sultan.  Photographs by George Hurrell and publications by Annie Leibovitz and Ed Ruscha will also be on view in glass displays. Tell us more about the exhibition.

Hollywood is a brand and a myth, for decades an illusion machine without equal, not only when the Oscars are awarded in spring. The exhibition at the Helmut Newton Foundation traces the fascination of Hollywood. We see the stars, official and private, the villas of the rich and beautiful or film-loving tourists as well as numerous secondary motifs. Our group exhibition looks back 100 years by means of more than 200 exhibits, and yet it is highly up-to-date at the same time. It is a tribute to the slowly fading splendor of an entire era, in which cinematographic storytelling continues with photographic means.

Helmut Newton, Sigourney Weaver at Warner Bros, Burbank 1983, copyright Helmut Newton Foundation

Helmut Newton, Elizabeth Taylor, Vanity Fair, Los Angeles 1985, copyright Helmut Newton Foundation

George Hoyningen-Huene, Judy Garland, Hollywood 1945, © The George Hoyningen-Huene Estate Archives

How was the work on the preparation of the exhibition?

I love the whole developing process of such an exhibition – from the first idea, the compilation of possible photographers and their works, at first only in my head, the contact with the artists or the estates or galleries representing them, the imaginary combination of the concrete loans – up to the placing and hanging of the exhibits. Such a process usually takes more than a year – and so I am also engaged thoughtfully with the next exhibition and the one after that at the same time.

As a curator, what did you note for yourself at this exhibition?

I’m very pleased with the way the individual groups of works in our exhibition rooms harmoniously fit together, or contrast with each other in an exciting way. I have brought together the most diverse aspects in the Hollywood exhibition, from the very early vintage PR shots of the stars by Ruth Harriet Louise for MGM in the 1920s to the film set shots of „The Misfits,“ taken in 1960 by all the members of Magnum at the time, to the large-format documentation of the porn film production „The Valley“ by Larry Sultan in the late 1990s, which, as you know, is being made parallel and virtually next door to the big Hollywood productions. In addition to all the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood stars, we also encounter other dark sides of the film city Los Angeles, for example in the unsparing portraits by Michael Dressel or the photographic road trip „L.A. Crossing“ by Jens Liebchen, which also deals with the numerous homeless people in today’s metropolis.

Marilyn Monroe going over her lines for a difficult scene, The Misfits, USA 1960, copyright Eve Arnold and Magnum Photos

Why is it worth visiting the „HOLLYWOOD“ exhibition?

There has never been an exhibition like this before. The starting point and reference point for such group presentations in our museum is always the work of Helmut Newton, who portrayed numerous celebrities in Los Angeles, in and around Hollywood, for each and every one of whom Newton developed an individual scenario, thus creating magnificent psychological portraits. Anyone who is even slightly interested in cinema or the relationship between film and photography should see this exhibition. By the way, for all those for whom the way to Berlin is too far, we also offer guided VR films of our exhibitions on our website.

What are you, HNF, aiming for in the future?

I have many interesting exhibition projects in the drawer, I can promise you that; they always deal with the re-contextualization of Newton’s work. Specifically, I am preparing for the winter of 2022/23 with „Helmut Newton. Brands“, a presentation of his commercial photography; most of the motifs are completely unknown to the majority of visitors. This will be followed by a retrospective of the work of June Newton, a.k.a. Alice Springs, on the occasion of her 100th birthday in June 2023. The exhibition will also be shown in other locations, as well as the Newton exhibitions we have just organized in Belgium, Spain, Monaco, Australia, Austria, and Italy. In parallel I take care of the editing of newer and older Newton publications. Through these activities of our foundation Helmut and June Newton and their great work remain alive internationally – and I am very happy about that.

Installation view, HOLLYWOOD, Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin 2022, photo Gerhard Kassner

“HOLLYWOOD”, on view through 20 November 2022, at the Helmut Newton Foundation, Jebensstrasse 2, 10623 Berlin

Jan Prengel

Text:
L y u b o v  M e l n i c k o w a

Hello Jan! Thank you for taking time for that interview. How did you become photographer? Was it a long way to find yourself in art?

It’s my pleasure!
The serious interest in photography came up during a trip to Paris in 2010. I photographed urban life with a small, simple digital camera. The images printed out afterwards ignited a fire in me and my path began. I decided to study photography.
Starting with commissioned photography for companies and architects, etc., I have implemented more and more of my own projects and developed my personal style.
But I think finding yourself in art is a never-ending process. As long as you change yourself, your artistic creation will also change and redefine from time to time.

Morocco_Pastels

The main subjects of your works are modern architecture and urban spaces. Why did you choose this particular direction in photography?

I have chosen these subjects for my work because they allow you to project your own visions and feelings onto them. They provide the visual basis for it. For example If you portray people, they bring their own complex story with them, which you cannot and should not suppress for your own ideas.

Morocco_Pastels

Morocco_Pastels

Morocco_Pastels

Minimalism is a rather subjective concept. It leaves a wide space for the viewer to perceive the work. What does minimalism mean to you? Why did you choose this concept?

For me, minimalism is more than just a visual aesthetic. Minimalism has a calming psychological impact on the subconscious. It leads to internal order. Similar to the feeling after you’ve tidied up your home.
I think the greatest lasting happiness is when all energies are balanced and minimalism is a good basis for that.

Concrete_Berlin

Concrete

Who are your favorite photographers and where do you get inspiration to create?

Andreas Gursky, George Byrne, Josef Hoflehner.

My inspiration is a product of the totality of all external sensory stimuli as well as the mental processing of them. The thoughts often wander around for hours and you can only hope that something ‚tangible‘ will emerge from it, an idea that can be realised.

External influences can be documentaries such as: Gerhard Richter – Painting, or the red light of a car park that falls into my girlfriend’s apartment at night and creates a cinematic atmosphere.

Light_of_Lisbon

Graphic_Lisbon

Graphic_Lisbon

Who are your favorite photographers and where do you get inspiration to create? How has the pandemic affected your creative process in terms of goal setting? How did you deal with lockdown and limitations of last year?

The restrictions of the pandemic made me dealt with new subjects. For example I created my series Plants from Space. There has been also a strong self-reflection and personal development that will give future projects additional levels and depth.
So there has been a positive impact on my work. Nevertheless, I long for the freedom to travel with the opportunity to discover new places and to get new influences on my photography.

Blue_Theatre

Blue_Theatre

Untitled

What are your future photography plans and current projects you are working on.

I am working on projects with new concepts and themes where I include my recent thoughts and visions.
I don’t want to be more specific about projects until they are finished.
You never know what the future will bring.

www.janprengel.com

Joke Amusan, Standing, Despite It All

Text
E k a t e r i n a  S i d o r e n k o v a

Few days ago in the HAZE gallery we opened a collective online exhibition called Do not go out the window.
This exhibition is focused on global problems that we’re forgetting, because they stay with us permanently, as information noise. All of us got used to these problems and became much less sensitive.
We spoke with artists about their works, the situation in the world and things that we should do to remember despite the circumstances.

Joke Amusan, German-born Nigerian artist living in England
@ibijoke.img
jokeamusan.com/

How can you describe your art in a few sentences?

My art practice highlights the experiences and complex beauty of what it means to be a Black woman. My art pieces are conversational, encouraging women to come together to speak up, share their stories, and embrace who they are unapologetically. Words are an important aspect of my work and they weave through my practice like a narrative, joining everything together.

Can you call the most important authors in contemporary art? Why?

I admire a lot of contemporary artists and the list changes all the time, but I would say the one constant person I am inspired by is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Although she’s a writer, I still view her as an artist. I admire the way she poetically tells stories and addresses situations that often get overlooked. She’s not afraid to voice her opinions and make sure that she’s heard.

I also love the work of Carrie Mae Weems and her photography work which are powerful yet have a certain vulnerability to them as well. It’s as though we, the viewer, are given an insight into an intimate setting. 

Joke Amusan, Against The Tide

I’m currently interested in the works of Billie Zangewa and her beautifully hand-sewn collage tapestries which explore the intersections of identities too.

Did your artistic vision change in the last few months? And how?

I would say that while my artistic vision is still pretty much the same, my way of expressing my vision has been evolving recently. While I was at university, I explored many different modes of presenting my art, and for a little while afterwards I felt stuck in one particular mode. I’ve recently become very interested in including myself more in my artworks and filming the processes of “staging” some of my art pieces. In this way, I’d like to show the process or journey of getting from A to B, and the various diversions that may present themselves in the middle of that journey. I don’t just want to share the somewhat finished and polished piece, I want every high and low, every mountaintop and valley to be seen in my work. I’m allowing myself to be more vulnerable and enjoying storytelling in that way.

Why  did you decide to participate in the exhibition Do not go out the window?

The theme of the exhibition really stood out to me because I’m a huge fan of speaking up for what’s right and fostering a space where we all listen to one another. I think the Do not go out the window exhibition is important because it reminds us that we must continue to stand strong in our beliefs and not allow the world to sway us. To not allow the obstacles in our way to scare us away from even trying.

What message do viewers will have seen in your works at the exhibition?

The two pieces I exhibited in the exhibition, If You Have A Voice, Speak., and Sharing Stories Breaks Barriers, collectively sums up what my art practice is all about. I initially created them aimed at Black women in a bid to help break down that wall where we feel that we can’t speak up or that, if we do, that it won’t amount to anything. It’s been great to see so many other people also resonate with the pieces. I truly believe that having a united front can break barriers, and the seemingly ordinary conversations that we’re having today can and will shape future generations.

Joke Amusan, This Too Shall Pass – Volume 2

Joke Amusan, Still I Rise

Joke Amusan

What would you like to wish our viewers and all the people in general to remember and never forget?

Being vulnerable is such a powerful and important thing. It is always worth it! Don’t be afraid to go against the current or have different thoughts that others may not necessarily support. Be steadfast and choose to rise again every single time you fall.

Elyana Shamselangeroodi, Iran
@elyana.shamselangeroodi
www.elyanashamselangeroodi.com

How can you describe your art in a few sentences?

Creating digital collages came to me at a very difficult time in my personal life. Finding it almost impossible and crippling to put my feelings, thoughts, and experiences into words, I began creating surreal spaces that brought me joy, allowing me to envision a world where life was simple, even in its complexity. My work was once described as ‚making friends with kind giants‘, and at the time it referred to large animals (namely elephants and giraffes) always being central to the stories told. Over the past two years, my work has begun exploring concepts of fear, joy, happiness, sadness. The kind giants have taken shape in facing the fear of the unknown, the difficult conversations, the scary thoughts. My expansion as a person has resulted in my practice extending itself beyond digital collages, introducing mixed media and new media to allow for the stories to unfold as best they can.

Elyana Shamselangeroodi

Can you call the most important authors in contemporary art? Why?

Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, and Vera Molnár.
Dalí and Magritte challenged how we see the world. Unique in their styles and storytelling, they each invite us to view everything from a different perspective, regardless of how unreal they might be. The courage to imagine something beyond the surface, created the fundamentals of many great novels, films, and visual art that we have seen, and continue to explore, in the 21st century. Vera Molnár, one of the pioneers of generative and computer arts, as well as the first woman to use computers in her art practice, introduced a 21st century medium to the arts. She is a major inspiration to me as a female artist, for her bold choice of using a medium that was unthinkable in a way that is complex yet stunning in simplicity at first glance.

 Did your artistic vision change in the last few months? And how?

Over the past year, alongside my digital collages, I have begun working in mixed media and new media as a way to expand my storytelling. In the beginning, getting used to painting over paint, messing things up, and exploring as I went was incredibly difficult to me, and I think that is primarily because digital work allowed me to have multiple versions of the same piece, without having to compromise. Getting over the fear of losing work, and embracing what would unfold as I went along was a challenge for me; however, it is one that I believe has made me a bit more brave. What I have learned in the past few months is trusting your instincts and the process.

Why  did you decide to participate in the exhibition Do not go out the window?

Do Not Go Out the Window highly resonated with me for providing visual arts a platform to be a form of protest against repression. As a woman from a country with many restrictions, especially for women to exist in the society and even in their own homes, we often find unconventional ways to have our voices and stories heard. I found Haze Gallery and this specific exhibition to shed a light on the significance that art can provide at times of personal, societal, and universal need to speak up, unify, and become more brave — and am thrilled to be a part of it!

Elyana Shamselangeroodi, Unlearn

Elyana Shamselangeroodi, Beautiful Ruins

Elyana Shamselangeroodi, Submerged

What message do viewers will have seen in your works at the exhibition?

I think for the unusual time that I found digital collages to be my rescue, I threw my loneliness and its familiar struggles into pieces that made me feel less lonely. Similarly, I have heard individuals connect with my work, empathizing having felt the emotion that the pieces often try to convey silently. I would hope that the viewer knows that they’re not alone, that the struggles they may be going through will make them stronger, that they matter in this world, that this world would certainly be missing something without them.

What would you like to wish our viewers and all the people in general to remember and never forget?

There’s a poem from one of the most iconic contemporary Iranian poets — Sohrab Sepehri — that reads:

Wherever I am, let me be
The sky is mine
The windows,
Thought,
Air,
Love,
The earth
Is mine

This piece has time and time again reminded me that I belong on this earth, regardless of anyone who wants to go against it, and so do you. Live life on your terms. You belong here, you are worthy.

Kateryna Repa, Ukraine
@repaekaterina
katerynarepa.wixsite.com

Kateryna Repa, Evolution Earth

Kateryna Repa

Kateryna Repa, CatDog

How can you describe your art in a few sentences?

In my works in the field of painting, sculpture, and media, I touch on the topic of ecology and the impact of human consumption on it, as well as the types of its consequences for the environment and us.
In graphics, these are different manifestations of the human essence, such as it is, in my opinion, at the given moment of development.
I also touch on the topic of evolution and its manifestations, linking it with technologies, their influence, and possible themes of their manifestation.

Can you call the most important authors in contemporary art? Why?

Damien Hirst is great at marketing, some of his work reflects reality.
Marina Abramovich – she brought performance to a new level, some of her works reflect the dark essence of humans.

Did your artistic vision change in the last few months? And how?

Yes, it has changed, it has become more reflective of the events that are taking place in my country (Ukrainian) and has become more manifest.

Why  did you decide to participate in the exhibition Do not go out the window?

I wanted to talk about the real events that are happening now in Ukraine.

Kateryna Repa, Evolution Arch Water

Kateryna Repa, Stingray

Kateryna Repa, Gorilla

What message do viewers will have seen in your works at the exhibition?

The message of humanity. This is the only thing that can help us. And that cardinal changes are needed in the system of government of countries in order to prevent military actions.

What would you like to wish our viewers and all the people in general to remember and never forget?

I want to wish everyone to never forget the person inside of you.

Viktoria Salma, Uzbekistan artist living in German
@viktoria_salma
 www.viktoria-salma.com

How can you describe your art in a few sentences?

In my art I’m looking for things hidden behind the facade and trying to capture the beauty of the true self of people and animals, sometimes landscapes. As I truly believe, we all are souls traveling through time and space and each of us has a story to be told.

Can you call the most important authors in contemporary art? Why?

For me it´s Francis Bacon with all the distorted reality in his paintings — his work feels so contemporary to me, especially when we think, what is going on in the world. Adrian Ghenie with his historical topics. And surely Banksy – with his social critical approach.

Victoria Salma

Did your artistic vision change in the last few months? And how?

The last few months showed me even more clearly how important it is to stand for your own ideas and values.

Why  did you decide to participate in the exhibition Do not go out the window?

I grew up in Russia — in our history we learned a lot about violence and injustice. Especially against people who do not agree with the regime. But history repeats just in front of our eyes. I could not stay silent.

What message do viewers will have seen in your works at the exhibition?

The mix media drawings from the series „In Memoriam“, were originally started in honor of victims of Stalinism, as my great-grandfather was one of them. They are about the helplessness and the pain of not being heard. From February 2022 they are developed to be dedicated to all people who suffer from totalitarian regimes.

What would you like to wish our viewers and all the people in general to remember and never forget?

We live in a very special time, where everyone has to find her or his own truth and to stand for it. No one can hide behind others any more.

Victoria Salma, Metamorphose

Victoria Salma, From the current project Tonkashila

Victoria Salma, The spirits I called

Pawel Pacholec, Poland
@paul.piotrowicz
www.behance.net/pacholec-pawel

How can you describe your art in a few sentences?

I wish my art to be thought provoking. Symbols that I use are often related to humanistic and social topics. I don’t consider my collage artworks to be very aesthetic, rather I care more about conveying reflective content. I try to fill the gap after C.G. Jung’s words that we live in thoughtless reality.

Can you call the most important authors in contemporary art? Why?

Since my main technique is collage I will mention the greatest in this field such as Robert Rauchenberg, Kurt Schwitters and Raoul Hausmann. They all created collages in the style of dada which is one of the best ways to comment on current affairs. Their collages were uncompromising, they criticized various political and social situations, often in a sarcastic or ironic way. This is an intelligent approach to art for thinking people.

Did your artistic vision change in the last few months? And how?

Present events in the world inspire deeper reflection. We are facing the greatest economic collapse ever and the social changes are very substantial and moving fast. The Overton Window mechanics can be seen very clearly as never before. I try to respond in an artistic manner to most of these turbulences.

Pawel Pacholec

Pawel Pacholec

Pawel Pacholec

Why  did you decide to participate in the exhibition Do not go out the window?

Topic that you propose is very close to me at the moment. Those massive changes in the world that we witness are forcing me to get more involved in politics and socio-economics. As the saying goes: “Evil feeds on the cowardice of good people”. I don’t want to be silent in these times.

What message do viewers will have seen in your works at the exhibition?

My main concern in life and art is the human condition. There are in my opinion way too many attempts of aggression, abuse and propaganda. I want to point out those subjects. I try to express my dissatisfaction with violence, as well as social pressure, repressions and aims to limit personal rights.

What would you like to wish our viewers and all the people in general to remember and never forget?

Follow your ideals, have some discipline, do and buy art that you love.

Pawel Pacholec, Absurd

Pawel Pacholec, Freedom

Pawel Pacholec, Body In Metamorphosis

Photo: Natascha Wilms, Maria Volokhova
Text: Irina Rusinovich

Where do you come from, where and when were you born?

I was born in 1980 in Kyiv / Ukraine.

Please tell us your artistic vita in a few sentences.

In Kyiv, I started my artistic education at the age of 6 and later attended the Shevchenko State Art High School. From 1997 to 2004 at the HKD Burg Giebichenstein, Halle/Saale painting/graphics graduated with a diploma.

Study visits in:
2000/02 Accademia die Belle Arti Bologna / Italy,
2003 – Ohio University, Athens/Ohio, USA
2005-2007 – Postgraduate studies at HKD „Burg Giebichenstein“, Department of Graphic Arts
2006 – 2009 Visiting student, Research Studies Ceramics, University Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan.

In 2009 the studio “ Volokhova Porcelain“ was founded in Berlin. In addition to working in the Berlin studio, I have interned in various porcelain manufactories in Germany and implemented my works in collaboration with the manufactories. My projects are exhibited worldwide at   M.V museums , exhibitions, fairs, and biennials (Faenza, Gyeonggi, Bornholm, Jakarta) and received several awards (NASPA Award, Keramikpreis Diesen, BKV Award, Ready Set Award).

How would you describe your creative process?

The ideas for the projects usually arise intuitively. In the work I delve into the thought to another level, so to speak, to another „planet“ of the current theme.
The work on the projects has an experimental character. How far can I explore the limits of the material?
My work with porcelain requires long preparation in designing the models. In the course of the process, further developments of the project emerge. Failures are part of everyday life and often lead to unexpected and exciting solutions.

What was the key influence that led to the development of your process and style?

My study at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Bologna in 2000/2001. There I came across the Museum of Anatomy with historical exhibits. Since then I have been busy interpreting and expanding projects about the inner worlds of the human being.

The desire to aesthetically realize this somewhat unpleasant subject led me to work with porcelain.

Do you have a life philosophy? Does your creative practice fit in with this philosophy?

Life itself, enjoyment of life, experimenting and constant development.
Also in my artistic practice, I am always researching about man as a being, our connections with the social environment as well as the new possibilities in the implementation.
My credo is: to remain free in my thoughts and ideas and to keep the possibility to pursue my goals.

Have you ever had a moment when you questioned your career entirely?

Moments of doubts come across an artist mind  again and again. These moments eventually lead to inner strengthening. At some point, I understood that my activity as an artist is my true vocation, and I cannot imagine my life without my research work in the workshop.

What is your favorite museum or art gallery and why?

me Collectors Room, Berlin

A contemporary art chamber with exciting artifacts. There I always find historical overlaps with my artistic research and new inspirations. Exciting temporary exhibitions.

What’s next for you?

At the moment I am working on the development of the project in connection with the current war situation in Ukraine that will be shown in the context of the Porcelain Biennale in Meissen in the summer.

I was very moved emotionally by the Maidan Revolution in 2014. At that time I realized what a strong meaning the country of Ukraine has for me, although I have been living abroad since 1995. The current attack on Ukraine shook the whole world.

For me Ukraine is a country with people who have warmth in them, always going about their daily lives with smiles and humor. The hearts of these people are destroyed, they mourn for their loved ones, for their destroyed cities, and continue to fight for their existence as a people and their independence.

Text
I r i n a  R u s i n o v i c h

Where do you come from, where and when were you born?

I was born in 1986 in Moscow, USSR. It’s the year of Chernobyl and 5 years before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Please tell us your artistic vita in a few sentences.

I was born an artist and already at 2 years old I got first lessons of painting from my grandfather who was an amazing artist himself. I spent all my childhood around him in his home atelier in Moscow. I went to art school in Moscow but dropped out and came to Berlin in 2011 to establish myself as an Artist. Since then I have more then 200 collectors under my belt worldwide as well as dozens of international art shows.

How would you define Contemporary Art in 140 characters or less?

Contemporary art is badass, provocative, bold and imaginative, I like that there is no borders at all. So it’s fair to say, Contemporary Art is something close to Chaos Magic.

Was there a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your passion?

I had artistic soul from the very beginning, but I felt shame for this and was taught that you need to “sacrifice your life for higher proposes of common wealth of communism” – from my grandparents. In Soviet Union there was no such a profession as an “artist” so it was never taken seriously. In 2014 in berlin I met a man who was a successful writer coming from working class family and meeting him put a sparkle in me to peruse my artist career seriously . Then he took me to Berghain and my wild spirit was unleashed.

How can you describe your art practice ?

I think my art is an expression of my multiple personalities. One wants to escape all the struggle into the happy colorful bubble, one wants to shout out from every corner the painful universal truth, the other one is empersonating an ambiguous androgynous figure that is trying to figure out this life and is questioning his body/spirit existence.

Has social media had a positive impact on your work?

I started to take Instagram seriously in 2015 and I build my audience and followers since then. My main business platform is there too, so I believe that social media plays a big role these days for emerging artists.

Do you find that Berlin’s art scene inspires or influences your art?

I feel I am very independent from Berlin Art scene to the point where I could call myself the most famous Berlin art scene outsider.

What’s next for you?

A show in Berlin Urban Nation Museum, solo show at HAZE gallery, art residency at BIKINI BERLIN and autobiographical book on the way + baby steps into NFT art market.