"I think of them as my Avatars that exist on other planes somewhere. Since I have different sides to my personality they also tend to have distinct vibes or energies about them that reflect a certain side of me, so they can appear soft and dreamy or expressive and strong, depending on when I made the paintings."

Our interview with Super Future Kid discusses their process and thoughts behind their work.
Interview by Richard Starbuck.

Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background? Where did you study?

I was born in East Germany in 1981 and experienced some kind of split childhood where the first 8 years of my life were spent in a rather plain, socialist world with very few resources. Then, with the Fall of the Berlin Wall, it all changed into what the child version of me thought was an exciting, colourful life with seemingly endless possibilities. I enjoyed my entire childhood very much though, but I also think that my ‘socialist upbringing' has provided me with a greater appreciation for materials, resources and also colours. It was so hard to obtain anything in East Germany, it was all about preserving and repairing rather than buying new. This attitude definitely left an imprint on me that I couldn't shake off. 

Apart from that, I studied at the KHB Weißensee Academy of Art in Berlin. After graduation, my husband and I moved to London for about 12 years, before going back to Germany during the pandemic, and then finally moving to Brooklyn where we are based right now. So the past 4 years have been a bit hectic with setting up a new studio from scratch pretty much every other year.

The characters you create in your artworks are both whimsical and expressive. Can you share the meaning or stories behind these characters, and what you hope they convey to the viewer?

My characters are representations of myself. I think of them as my Avatars that exist other planes somewhere. Since I have different sides to my personality they also tend to have distinct vibes or energies about them that reflect a certain side of me, so they can appear soft and dreamy or expressive and strong, depending on when I made the paintings. But I also hope that they can feel like avatars to other people who look at them and project themselves into these worlds. I wouldn’t enjoy the idea of making the work just for myself, it is fulfilling to know when other people have positive experiences with it.

Your work often features a child-like theme and style, with playful imagery and bright colors. What draws you to this aesthetic, and what do you hope to communicate through this youthful and imaginative approach?

Ever since I was very little I remember not wanting to get older. With 5 I wanted to be 3, with 7 I wanted to be 5 and so on. I hated the idea of growing up, just like Peter Pan. I wanted to extend my childhood as much a possible and I guess one consequence of that was becoming an artist. Another consequence was that I was able to retain a playful and curious mindset on life and nature. This means that I can get excited about the stupidest things but I also believe that being able to get inspired by trivial matters is a super power. Life never gets boring and has endless discoveries waiting anywhere you look.

Your sculptures often resemble totem poles with their stacked figures and vibrant designs. What inspired you to create these totem-like structures, and what do they symbolize or represent in your body of work?

I am very much into sculpture in general. The idea of extracting elements and characters from my 2 dimensional paintings and giving them shape in 3 dimensions is super fascinating to me because then you are able to touch it, walk around it, feel its texture and weight. And the sculptural concept of the totem pole is the ultimate form of this to me, because it brings together multiple characters in a vertical group that is simultaneously suggesting narratives as well as simply being a compelling arrangement of figures, shapes, materials and colours.

Tell us a bit about how you spend your day / studio routine? What is your studio like?

My current studio is a live/work space, so I spend pretty much all day looking at or thinking about my work, but the studio is on another level so I can also switch that off if I need to. 

I usually get up in the morning, check mails and messages, then head down to look at whatever I’m currently working on and start painting. After a while I’ll eat something and then head back to painting. This cycle continues several times until maybe 6. After that I usually play games or watch something on YouTube until I fall asleep. Depending on where we lived this can also change, but in general I prefer a live/work arrangement as I don't have to prepare anything and can work whenever I need to.

What artwork have you seen recently that has resonated with you?

There is so much good art out there I couldn't even say, but I screenshot a lot of things that resonate with me and one of the last things I captured was work by Cristina de Miguel. I absolutely love that savage quality, the rawness with which she attacks the canvas with paint and yet somehow makes it look and feel delicate at the same time. It’s magical to me.

Is there anything new and exciting in the pipeline you would like to tell us about?

There are several pots cooking at the moment, I have an interesting brand collaboration coming up as well as some group and solo show plans and an edition for a charity later this year but its too soon to go into any details yet, definitely all exciting though.

Artist’s Website

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Over The Influence Gallery

All images courtesy of the artist and Over The Influence Gallery
Interview publish date: 04/07/2024