Et Alors? Magazine 20

I’m going to start with a quote by Ai Weiwei:
“Being an artist is not a job, it’s an identity”.
Definitely! From the moment I started at the academy
I noticed that sculpting was very demanding on
both a physical and a psychological level. This has
never diminished. I very much like what I do, but
a large percentage of my practice involves - let’s
call it ‘suffering’ for lack of a better word. You can’t
underestimate the hard work involved in a creative
process. Maybe it has something to do with my
perfectionism and the way I always seek to surprise
myself. I am able to make large and complex series
like Salon du Plaisir - but then I have to change
everything and make it challenging again. I want
to keep finding things that I don’t know yet. I want
to keep on being amazed. Those steps can be very
small, and they may not even be noticed by the
public, but for me they are very important. That’s
the thing I’m pursuing. That doesn’t mean it always
works out. So when it doesn’t, I’ll feel unhappy and
unsatisfied. But when it does you have the feeling
that you can literally do anything. It’s a never ending
circle which I’m quite familiar with by now, but when
I was younger I definitely considered giving up art
and starting a day job.
Can you describe what you are looking for?
That’s difficult to explain because in the first
place it’s about a certain tension between shapes,
between abstract or organically formed elements.
I’m also looking for surprise. I’m always curious and
never satisfied with things I already know. I keep
searching for the new. Although ‘searching’ may
be the wrong word because I have the feeling that
I bump into things. They’re just there when I need
them. When I’m in this creative flow, things come
my way. Those things can be very banal. It can be a
color, a shape, or even a chip of wood from a chair.
Everything automatically makes sense and comes
to terms with what I’m working on at the moment.
I know it all sounds a bit abstract but it makes sense
in my head.
I guess you can compare it to a jigsaw puzzle where
every piece automatically leads to the big picture.
If you say you want to surprise yourself, does that
mean that you never know the outcome?
Not always, no. All the images in my mind translate
into the clay as some sort of collage. Sometimes I
don’t know where an image comes from, yet when
the piece is finished and I start talking about it, spend
time with it, it all matches up. It all becomes clear.
I notice I keep on fostering connections between
what I did before and how I can make it more
abstract, or make a different version of it. Every
piece is a step forward to the next one. Even little
things like collages or pictures I make, are a prelude
to the piece that comes next.
My intuition is often faster than my interpretation
or reason.
What makes you go to your studio every time?
Discipline and action. When I’m - for one reason or
another - a bit rusty, I start making things through
boredom. Things I know, things that don’t take
any effort. I start sculpting Nick (Nadia’s husband,
painter Nick Andrews), which gets me going most
of the time. It’s all about doing things. I get a lot
of inspiration from magazines, from traveling or
design, but in the end you just have to start and see
where it leads you. However, I’ve also learned that
it’s not bad to take a break every now and then.
Especially after an exhibition when it’s important to
wind down. And even when feelings of guilt start to
kick in, I always acknowledge the value of just doing
nothing for a while. Sometimes you just have to let
go.
Some African languages don’t have a word for
artist, but translate it as magician: someone who
puts magical powers into an object? What do you
put into your work?
I have the feeling that I literally put everything
into my work. And since I often cannot recall how
I’ve made something, the fear of not being able to
do it anymore lingers once in a while. Even when
everything always works out fine, I cannot say that
the process is obvious. It’s a huge contrast to when
I’m feeling confident. The greatest moment is when
you feel that everything connects, when you are
in the middle of this creative process where all the
pieces come together. Then I can even say that I’ve
made the best thing I’ve ever seen! This doesn’t mean
I’ll have that same feeling the next day, but it’s a good
start. It’s an addictive feeling though. The adrenaline
you feel when you’re on a confidence high is great. It’s
very empowering. Enough to keep me going through
the tougher times. Thankfully I’m able to put it more
and more into perspective because absolutely no
creativity comes from being in a negative loop.
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