— I discovered industrial plastic film in 1985, before my time in New York. Its transparency immediately fascinated me. I could paint on both sides and see the person opposite me through the film. This led to life-size portraits and performances. People stood directly behind the stretched film while I painted them. Only this material separated us. There was closeness, physical contact and a non-verbal exchange. For me, it was a completely different experience of portraiture. I carried out these performances with Paul Maenz in Cologne, among others, and later in New York galleries, including Leo Castelli’s.
At the same time, I developed my approach to working with two layers of film. I stretch film across the back of the stretcher frame and work on both sides. Then I stretch another layer across the front and work on that. This gives me three surfaces to work on, with a space between them where I can also incorporate objects. These spatial layers allow me to interweave figures, colour and text. You look at the painting and into it at the same time.
— I am interested in how we live with our own minds. That connects my artistic work with my work as a psychotherapist. “Monkey Mind” describes something I know well: thoughts jump back and forth, while memories, worries and desires all push to the forefront at once. That movement has an affinity with my paintings. Through painting, I can bring it outside myself and look at it. That also gives me a sense of calm. What particularly interests me in Buddhist thought is exploring my own mind, developing compassion, recognizing impermanence and examining how we deal with suffering.
These questions become very concrete in everyday life: How do I respond to others, to our world? What am I holding on to? How do I deal with my own contradictions? In my engagement with Tibet with political questions of power, cultural identity and self-determination I give space to the hope for good governance. China bears responsibility here. In my view, this nation will profoundly change and shape our world in the coming decades. My paintings emerge from experience, often also from doubt, anger or a decidedly down-to-earth sense of the absurd.
— My work has always engaged with the political and social realities of its time. In the eighties, these included military conflicts such as the Iran-Iraq War, the arms race, AIDS, violence and gender relations. Later, I explored the fall of the Berlin Wall and the pandemic. Today, other conflicts and power interests occupy me. In the current group of works, Tibet provides a concrete starting point for broader questions: How is power exercised? What does responsible leadership mean? What happens to people and their culture when others determine their future?
I explore these questions through painting. I am interested in the tension that arises when a painting initially reads as a field of color from a distance, then becomes uncomfortable on closer inspection. I cannot resolve political conflicts with a painting. But I can make my position visible, sharpen questions and perhaps encourage someone to look a little longer.
— I would like more people to be able to live with art. Collecting can begin with a single work that speaks to you. “Mom Knows It Better” launches my ongoing collector’s series GOOD GOVERNANCE: acrylic reproductions measuring 20 × 20 centimetres, signed and numbered, each limited to 50 copies. In this way, a collection with a personal sense of continuity can gradually develop. The editions offer a less expensive entry point than the originals.
“Affordable for everyone” would promise too much, though. What interests me most about collecting is the relationship that grows over time. A painting also says something about its owner. It can be a statement and in that sense, I see the GOOD GOVERNANCE series as a statement! A work hangs in your home, becomes familiar, perhaps invites conversation, and eventually catches your eye in a completely different way. You might only discover a joke later. Or a sentence suddenly takes on a new meaning through an experience of your own.
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