World Wide WEb

KollektiveKonfusion

Interview by L. Valena

Via email October 26-29, 2021

Please describe the prompt that you received.

I received three drawings that were made mostly of black lines, with only a little bit of color on one of them. They looked kind of simple, but alive - I felt movement. I saw lots of eyes on them, flowing lines, some faces and different beings. On one of the drawings there was a big letter ‘W’ with eyes on it that struck my attention the most.

What was your first reaction to it?

At first, I felt kind of surprised to have received some drawings by a person I don’t know. It felt exciting and I had the impression of going on an adventure. I was happy to see something so different from my own style, but instantly recognized some parallels. My paintings usually contain a lot of eyes, so I could see myself through the eyes on these drawings. I was happy about seeing something that’s mostly black and white, because my works tend to be very colourful. I felt that the process of responding to it will start with some clear, black lines. I saw these black lines as guidelines, orientation points to not get lost in colours.

What happened next?

I gave myself some time before I started drawing. I looked at the drawings every now and then, sketched the forms I saw there and arranged my scribbles on a big piece of paper. My drawing process started with the thing I noticed first, the letter ‘W’. This letter kind of guided me through all the rest of the work. The ‘W’ led me to a web, I felt the interconnectedness between all those eyes, all these different persons involved in the process of creation.

By “all these different persons involved in the process of creation,” are you talking about the other artists involved in Bait/Switch, all of the other people who have influenced you and your work, or both?

First of all, I’m talking about the other artists directly involved in Bait/Switch, but of course it goes much further. Everyone’s work is highly influenced by all the people they have met, everything they have experienced - all colours, sounds, shapes... It goes on and on, it’s an infinite network that goes into all possible directions.

Is that feeling of interconnectedness something you experience in your everyday life? If so, when and where?

To be honest, this question is kind of difficult for me to answer. It’s difficult to put into words what I feel about it, since it’s something so much bigger than me. It’s not always possible for me to grasp it, but I see this feeling as a guide, it’s something I look for when I feel lost.

Nature leads me there most of the time - sitting next to a river, climbing up a mountain, walking in the forest or just sitting in the sun. I feel it when I spend time with people or animals I feel close to. Or when I listen to good music, look at a great piece of art or read something that feels familiar. But it’s not just about that, since the connection to everyone and everything is always present - sometimes it’s just easier to access, sometimes harder.

You said that eyes are a subject that makes it into your work often. Can you say why?

On the journey of creation we get to know the self in so many different ways, we can transcend it and become more aware of the world inside and outside. So to me, it feels like looking at life through different eyes, through different lenses, at different angles. Eyes provide access to new perspectives, they kind of come up naturally and unplanned when I draw or paint, leading me to different points of view.

Is there anything else that you want to talk about, relating to either the work you made or the process of making it?

I was happy about having a deadline. Usually, it’s very challenging for me to consider a work as finished, putting layers over layers... sometimes even to the point of ruining it entirely. I realized how helpful a deadline can be!

Do you have any advice for another artist approaching this project for the first time?

Not really. Just follow your intuition and have fun.

Call Number: M40VA | M41VA.koWo

KollektiveKonfusion: I grew up in Germany, but my parents are from Poland and Romania. After finishing school I started to travel extensively, got lost around the globe for a few years until I felt the urge to settle. My heart lead me back to Poland, where I currently live in carpathian mountains with my partner and our three cats.