ARTISTIC APPROACH
In my work terms like memory, absence, alienation, fear or violence play an important role. These terms are abstract and difficult to grasp or picture so that I try to relate them to a social context. Here I have established a special focus on war and power as well as dictatorship and systems, issues which have been preoccupying me since my early adolescence.
In order to express my ideas I employ various mediums such as drawing, painting, lithography and etching. Among them it is lithography that has had the most significant impact upon my work. My intense involvement with graphics in general has made me extremely sensitive to the possibilities of black and white, which has led to the decision to exclusively work in this spectrum. I believe that I can express myself and my concerns more directly and precisely if I follow this approach. Another aspect is that I tend to work in series. Working like this first occurred to me while I was preparing my diploma thesis for which I chose to work on the holocaust. I travelled around to visit places of historical interest where I did drawings, took pictures and wrote texts. This continued for three years and grew very intense. In the end I felt that producing one single picture about the holocaust was an impossible thing to do. As a result I did a whole series which comprises 26 paintings, about 12 lithographies, photographs and drawings. Since then other series like “murder” or “sculptural drawings” have been created.
Generally speaking I am interested in a realism that comes about through abstract form. But that does not at all mean that I am led by chance or coincidence. I have a very precise idea of what a picture has to be like when it is finished, but the process and the methods are quite flexible. Over the last few months text has become increasingly important for my work. Sources of inspiration are literary but also scientific texts. I aim at combining text and image in a fruitful way that helps to convey the message of my work more poignantly.
