— So, Passengers of the Night, it's a movie by Mikael Hers, made in 2022. I don't know if you have seen it. If not, you can see it. It's a really nice movie which inspired me for the title of the show. Actually, it was not so much the people in the film and the story of the film, but it was more its poetry, the poetry between the lines and the dialogues, the pictures and the feeling that you get when you see the movie.

There's a really nice final monologue in the film. I don't want to say too much because if you see it then you can experience it yourself. It’s all about things you can't put into words, the unspoken in between things, and art has the power to actually put it into some sort of language. And then you can connect with it by standing in front of an artwork you don't even know. Why do I feel this way? What's happening? Because there's something in the picture that is touching you deep inside. You could not even find a word for it. And so, looking at art for me is always a sort of therapy. I'm really happy if visitors have this connection with the single pieces.

Differently from the movie, the people I draw, a lot of portraits in the show are close friends, friends of friends or people I have a connection with, people with whom I had an experience in my life. So, it's always very connected to other people and the relationship you have with other people. And that's also what the movie talks about, the power of relationships and other irrational behaviors that humans have.

Why are we the way we are? Why do we feel that way? Why are we doing this? And it doesn't always make sense, but it's our human unpredictable being that comes out in the movie and also in the artworks. I always want the artwork to have more than just one layer. So, you look at it and if you look closely, you'll find other things in the background or in the clothes or the way the people look at you. And I always want the artwork to be as open as it can be, but also not to be too direct in the meaning.

— We feel like your work has this beautiful contrast between the colors you use and the darkness of the vibe that they convey. And we feel like there is of course a connection with the history of art. The first movement that comes to mind is Expressionism. And we were wondering, what are your artistic references from the past? Who are the artists that you connected with?

— Clearly you can see the influence of Edward Munch in a lot of my works, and a little bit of Van Gogh, fuzzy, little colorful strokes. It all comes out of a feeling, of a deeper inner expression, like I have to do it this way. Drawing for me is exactly like writing, and like in the handwriting you can kind of see the personality, you also can see it in the drawing because it's like writing, always coming straight from your brain into your hand and then into the paper. That's why I love drawing and I do a lot of pastel drawings.

If you go see the show, you will see a lot of small pastels doing those lines which get really fuzzy and fever-like. That's kind of very intense, really close to my own feelings that I'm not always aware of. But when I do the artwork, while I'm doing it, I kind of get rid of something. I don't even know what it is, but then it's in the picture and then it stays there and it can be reflected by the viewer. And that's the whole process of doing art. That's why for me it's essential to do it, because if I could not do it, it would be all inside and wouldn’t come out and I would kind of freak out.

So, I have to let it out in the artwork, if it makes sense. But I think everybody needs this. You can also have it as a spectator, just looking at art and having this feeling is also, I would call it a therapeutic connection. That's why art is so important. There is always going to be art, art made by humans. Because I read so much about artificial intelligence now taking over, but I think it is not going to take over the art, or at least I hope.

— We feel there is this pattern in your work of skeletons coming up or these eerie figures, harlequins or demon-like figures. What's their role? Are they some sort of memento mori or more of a metaphor for our inner demons?

— Exactly, you just said it. It's actually this. We're always in transition. We're always changing. We're going – I think it was Pink Floyd – there was one line in one of the songs, “one day closer to death”. Like every day we're getting closer to this other thing that's going to happen: death. We have to deal with all this transition. And I feel like if you make friends with the skeleton man and they were sitting on your shoulder, like, friendly, one day we're gonna go together, but don't worry. So, I kind of make friends with them.

There's also a little etching that is not in the show, but it's called My New Friend, and in it you see a clown and behind the clown is the new friend, a skeleton man. They're walking together through life. So, you kind of just have to accept this sort of transition, all the fear that comes with it, just a little demon living inside of you. And if you embrace your demon, you will have a better life. I try to embrace it with art, that’s why I always find a spot for them in my artworks. So, you are my friend, you're here now.

I paint a little skeleton, a little demon figure, because we have to give that space, we cannot run away from it. It's always going to be a part of us, and the more we accept it and we make friends with them, the easier it's going to be. But it's always going to be this dark, unknown side in us we will not understand. We will probably understand the second we die. You know, nobody knows what happens. And I think it makes it easier to enjoy life if you accept the dark, unseen parts.

So, I try to bring this kind of picture, also to accept it myself, probably. Some of the artworks could be seen as a little bit dark, but it's something we have to accept. I even had a visitor in another show and she was like “Your work has such dark energy”– she could not look at it. I was like, why? It's also fun. There's some humor in it. It's also a big desire for life, there's something positive in it. But she couldn't really deal with it. It was too much for her.

— The exhibition starts with this stunning drawing of a cave, that then pops up again in fragments in the second room. Can you explain to us the reference of the cave related to the rest of the drawings?

— I had a big desire to draw a cave. Probably to put myself into a secure room like a cave, which gives you comfort and a home. And it's kind of safe because we used to live in caves, and maybe one day we will live in caves again. We don't know what's going to happen. But it's something that's also inviting you to dive into your own subconscious somehow.

If you fall asleep and picture a cave, it's like your subconscious and you're going deeper and deeper. It's getting darker and darker. And I somehow found it interesting to have these passengers of the night, the people. I depict real life but then it is in contrast with the cave and the subconscious being. You have to see the show, it makes more sense. But it was just something that had to come out and I just had a big desire to do caves.

— Your work deals a lot with the struggles of contemporary times, the role of technology, the upcoming or actual wars and disasters, and we think it has a powerful insight on how to deal with it. Maybe the connection with getting back to being caveman could be one answer, to dig deeper into ourselves. Our question would be, do you feel optimistic nonetheless?

— I'm really in between. I mean, we have like three main problems right now, like a war starting everywhere and probably going to come to Germany, to Europe, everywhere. We have the climate problem and we have artificial intelligence, which could be a big problem, but could also be a big help. And we are right on the edge. We could go this way or this way. We could solve all the problems with artificial intelligence, I think, but we could also create a horrible scenario. So, it's right there. We have to decide what to do.

And I think now is the time to ask ourselves, what are human values? Where do we want to go? Who are we? What do we actually want? Are we really critical with the information that we get? Do we still have our own opinion and all those things? And I think art is such an important reflection room to ask all these questions and to get back to yourself without being superficially influenced. Because if you really look at an art piece, you really have to dive into it and it can't be superficial.

So, you have to ask yourself really deeply and just remind yourself, we're all humans. We're all one human family. We all have to do that together. And I believe we could do it together. It could be paradise on Earth if we wanted to, with all the help we get now. The general artificial intelligence is going to be smarter than all the humans together have ever been. That's going to be in a few years. We're going to have a new species on Earth that could be a big help, but it could also be the end of the world. We don't know, but we are right on the edge of it. And it's going to be a very interesting future.

I'm happy we can enjoy our dreams right now. I hope it will be like that, but it's very insecure. You can feel that also in the drawings, they are never really relaxed, happy. There's always something that is breaking the idol. That's always a little moment of stress in the artwork. So, I try to deal with it this way. But of course, what can I do? I cannot change the world with a few drawings. But at least I can give a little bit of something, I can put something in a room for self-reflection. That's all I can do and that's all I want to do. Let's see what happens.

— Can you give us an insight on your artistic process, on how you create? Where do you get inputs, apart from movies, music? How does it work for you?

— I'm always on, I'm always filtering information. I always get into sketches and notes and whatever, all the time. And then when I have the deadline coming up, I am like “Okay, now I have to take some images out of that” and then I'm looking through my sketchbooks and I collect a few sketches and they end up into an artwork. And then I always want to have a show with one subject, so all the books go together. It's a process. It's an ongoing process.

But the actual working time, I wake up at four in the afternoon, I go to the studio, I work more in the evening, but I try to have a regular studio time like pretty much almost every day, except the weekend because a friend once told me not to work on Sundays.

He said I need one day off to go into the forest and not think about it. But he was actually right that you have to step out of the studio from time to time and just think of something else because then new ideas also come when you don't hunt for it and you don't want it so bad, because creativity always lies in the silence.

So, it's very important to take your time off. You don't think, you put the phone away and you just let it flow. And then the idea and the creativity can actually grow, develop.

— You live between Weimar and Berlin. What is your relationship with these two cities and how does it differ? Do they compensate one another?

— Weimar is small and it's quiet, I can work there. Berlin is a cocktail of craziness, so it's perfect for inspiration, there is a lot of inspiration here. But then I also need a quiet time in my studio, to reflect and to calm down.

It's like a cocktail, 10% of vodka – that would be Berlin – into 90% water – Weimar. And then you have a good drink. Because if you only have the vodka, you just die. And if you only have the water, it's boring. So, for me it's a good mix to have a small city and a bigger city.

And all my inspiration, all my friends live in bigger cities and I just visit them and spend time there and feel the spirit of that society. Because a small city is always like, you always feel like under a cheese case.

That's the small city feeling, you don't really see what's going on in the world. You're kind of safe in your bubble, in your cheese case. And then I always have to take off the lid and go into the actual cheese. So, I think for me – I have been doing it for so many years now – I think it's a good mix. You always need that balance.

— Are you working on something new? What's next?

— I don't know. I want to see what's gonna come. Now I will go in silence. Creativity comes in silence. And I also don't know what kind of seeds are in the earth and what's gonna come out. I hope it's going to be something really tasty and nice. We will see. I don't know. I just need some time to let it grow. At one point, I was working like crazy and then you're kind of burnt out. I don't want to have a situation when you cannot make the decision anymore by yourself.

So, now I can do it by myself and it's a better feeling. I just slow down and see what's coming up, what's new. Because the work needs a long time to actually come out of the floor like a plant, like a bamboo. You know, when you plant the bamboo, nothing happens for three years, and then it grows in an instant. I hope my work is going to do the same, but I think it's a good moment to just kind of deal with all the things that are happening in the world. It's a lot you have to deal with and then all the personal things, it's just a lot.

A lot of friends are very worried right now about everything,I would call it a general latent depression, high functioning depression. You are still running and keep going but you're kind of empty. Like what's happening right now? Do I need some time to stop and reflect? And I think the whole world should just stop at one point and reflect and not keep on going with all the craziness that's going on. I feel like everybody's getting crazy. Like so much power in the hands of so few people, a few people who have a lot of power and make big decisions and it's actually not the world we want, right? We don't want the power in the hands of crazy people. So we have to think about what we actually want.

Because I also feel a lot of people who are not looking anymore just leave it to happen. But I think we should be very active looking really closely at what is happening and reflect ourselves in this situation.