What do you feel is crucial to your growth as an artist?

First off I think curiosity is most important. Keeping my mind open for new inspiration everyday is also essential.

You use different symbols, forms…How would you describe your artistic style? 

I would say it’s a neo-baroque-gothic style. When I grew up I visited a lot of churches especially in Italy and Germany. I´m very influenced by the imagery and culture.

What are you trying to communicate with your art? 

I often work with symbols of mortality. On the one hand it’s about transience and the infinite cycle of growth and decay. On the other hand I’m interested in the hidden beauty of structures and organic fragments.

Your work is closely related to the topics used to be sort of  taboo. As an artist, did you encounter any difficulties when you opened up about the topics?

The material itself that i use as a motive (e.g. a placenta) is quite often deterrent to others. But the way it is drawn or painted is almost decorative. In this new context the same people might want to look at it closer and might even get curios.

To what extent has your everyday life as an artist changed during pandemics? 

My everyday life didn’t change much. I go to my studio or work at home. But during the lockdown when all the galleries and museums were closed I missed it a lot to visit exhibitions. I was a lot online and participated in openings, lectures, listend to podcasts and visited virtual exhibitions. That was all very interesting but still not the same. I also noticed that traveling used to be a source of great inspiration for me.

How do you feel about being involved in an online residency program? How important is to stay connected with the international art community?

I´m glad be part of an online program and to be connected with people all over the world and in different timezones. It´s exciting to get to know the other artists and their varied practice. Moreover it´s very interesting to be part of everyones progress.

What are your thoughts about the theme ‘artist on standby’? Tell us a bit more about your project…

We are all witnesses of the times we are living in. The understanding of time or how to „use“ it shifted. During lockdown it felt like the world is frozen, we were all waiting for spring, summer, things to get better. But for me feeling on standby is a fallacy, nothing is really on standby just growth or decay is slowed down.

What do you want to achieve before things return to normal?

I would like to preserve all the small things I noticed that changed for me. But I think what I experienced will find its way into my work anyway. I´m ready to take part in all kinds of cultural life again.

Any future plans/projects?

In a few weeks I’m moving to a new studio, there will be an exhibition this summer and I’ll join an international summer academy program in Austria.