Interviews
Interview by Kim Latham, Metrozine, October 2005
Q: How old were you when you started painting? Does the work on display here have any significant or personal meaning to you?
A: I started painting as a child and began to use aquarelle at the age of eleven. Around the age of 15 my interest turned to surrealistic paintings and this was followed by coal drawings, which where mainly caricature portraits. All of these different styles were my way of expressing myself but the abstract way of painting is the one that relaxes me the most, because I seem to express all my emotions through this kind of art.
Q: Do you always paint with oil or do you use other materials?
A: Nowadays I use acrylic, oil, poster colors and spraypaint.
Q: Have you had any exhibitions in Europe and do you have any plans to hold exhibitions in China?
A: I have had five exhibitions in Europe and one in Beijing. My first exhibition was held in my hometown in northern Germany, followed by exhibitions in galleries in Hamburg and Berlin. All the buyers were Germans. In Beijing, I had exhibitions in the German Centre and in the Capital Club.
Q: What or who inspires you to paint?
A: There have always been painters in my family, my great uncle’s paintings are still on display at an exhibition in Lübeck, northern Germany, the city where I was born, and I grew up with a lot of art around me and this included information and books on art. When I began painting surrealistic works Salvador Dali was my inspiration.
My interest also turned to cubist art, so Picasso has then a hit with me. Slowly, I shifted to abstract paintings. I think it is a combination of a lot of artists that have made a big impression on me.
All I know now is that in my abstract world there is an urge to paint that comes from the inside, the only outside influence I have are natural colors.
Q: If you could see your paintings in one gallery anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
A: In Beijing I would like to see my paintings in Galleries such as Red Gate Gallery or the Courtyard.
Q: What does it mean to you to be an artist?
A: For me it is just a way to express myself. I have to paint. It was not a conscious choice to begin painting. If you are creative it comes out one way or another. I have designed different toys, baked cakes, but it turns out that painting is my favorite, the one in which I can express myself best.
Q: What is the average price of your paintings?
A: The price differs according to the size of the painting, but they range from RMB 5,000 - 30,000 (EUR 500 - 3,000).
reprinted with permission