VERONIKA BAN, interview to an amazing artist
I began as a child with learning music, doing my personal diaries, writing poetry and short surrealistic stories. Then later playing also in Theater as an actress, but with time it was more and more apparent that my artistic vein was leading me towards visual arts, manifesting itself in painting, sculpture, artistic diaries, short films, installations, collages and murals.
It is very difficult to say who is the most important influential artist to me, but I can easily say who was the first one: Hieronymus Bosch. With his art I have for the first time understand the consept of “Horror vacui” which i discovered in my art as well. During the studying art at Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, I even made a project called “Horror vacui”.
During last years I noticed that some of my artworks became much more conceptual then before. There is still spontaneous inspiration of course, as always was the only technique of my creative spirit, but the ideas which arrive spontaneously are more and more manipulated by my intellectual part of the mind.
Title of artwork: “Always Looking For…”
Technique: collage painting with acrylic colors, crayons, charcoal and varnish on canvas
Dimensions: 100x100x3cm
Made in October 2012.
This artwork symbolically represents people and their life-styles in our society. We are always looking for something and this is actually the engine that keep us going on in our lives. Always looking for… But for what? I think this question is related to our life-style where we consume even if we don´t really need anything. We don’t understand our need to consume and to possess. It is all the same with different needs: to possess material things or intellectual powers, economical or spiritual… We are always looking for more, for something else…
This artwork is part of the series “About the Bricks”
Title: Point of view
Technique: Collage painting
Material used: copies on paper of the book Afternoon interviews with Marcel Duchamp by Calvin Tomkins, glue, acrylic colors, crayons, charcoal and varnish on canvas.
Dimensions are 100x100x3cm.
Made in Berlin, 2013.
This artwork is part of series About the bricks:
This piece symbolically presents one of those moments in our lives when the only solution for continuing is to change the point of view and start looking at life differently. It makes me remember the proverb which says: “If you can not change your mind, you are not using it”.
Title: Posted on the wall
Technique: Collage painting
Material used: Facebook´s posts and photos printed on paper, glue, acrylic colors, crayons, charcoal and varnish on canvas.
Dimensions: 100x100x3cm.
Made in Berlin, 2013.
This artwork is part of series About the Bricks:
This is actually an ironic artwork with a wall made by photos and posts from Facebook. Social networks are playing a big role in our society and with this piece I just wanted to capture this. Of course I choose the posts and photos which I like and appreciate, with the need of sharing them on this wall as well.
Title: Play Time!
Technique: Mixed media.
Materials used: musical notes on paper, glue, zip, acrylic colors and varnish on canvas with coloured wooden frame.
Dimensions with frame are 44x44x3cm.
Made in Berlin, 2013.
This artwork is part of series Games we play:
Title: Bon Appetit!
Technique: Mixed media.
Material used: photo, pieces of mirror, cardboard plate, glue, napkins with printed 100€ on it, knife, spoon and fork, acrylics, crayons, charcoal, varnish and canvas. Canvas is framed with wooden colored frame.
Dimensions with frame are 54x54x3 cm.
Made in Berlin, 2013.
This artwork is part of series The Meal
Title: Artist´s Game
Technique: Collage painting
Material used: photos, glue, acrylic colors, charcoal and varnish on canvas.
Dimensions: 58x68x4 cm with frame.
Made in Berlin, 2012.
This artwork is part of the series Games we play:
This piece symbolically presents the life of an artist as a game he/she has to play to reach their goal, which is actually the game itself. Being an artist does not mean just to be creative, it means also to know the history and present of art, to know the art market, to be competitive and fast, to reach the public and send the message to the public. It also means to lose sometimes and be lost because being an artist means to experiment and always researching. Being an artist is actually a hard game to play… but definitely the best one.
Title: Artistrate
Technique: Painting
Material used: Acrylic colors and glossy liquid varnish on canvas.
Dimensions: 100x100x3cm
Made in Berlin 2014.
This artwork is part of series Stories:
This particular painting is inspired by a photo that my daughter took of me, while I was painting with my hair. And this moment become like a symbol for me; because hair is a symbol of life and painting is a symbol of my work. So, this subject of painting with hair it could be a symbol of this symbiosis between my life and my work, which is actually Art. My art is my story, my poetry of life… and everybody can reflect in it. We all are human beings, searching for the truth and happiness in our lives.
Title: Portrait of Situation No.1
Technique: Mixed media on canvas
Material used: Poetry of Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu printed on paper, glue, black coat, silicone, acrylic colors, charcoal, crayons and varnish on canvas.
Dimensions: 100x100x4cm
Berlin, June 2014
This artwork is part of series Portraits of Situations:
Title: Portrait of Situation No. 3
Technique: Mixed media on canvas.
Material used: photos of most expensive artworks sold at auctions to date printed on photo paper, polystyrene board, glue, acrylic colors, crayons and varnish on canvas.
100x100x3cm
Berlin, October 2014
Portrait of Situation No. 6
Mixed media on canvas
Material used: phrases and images from printed on photo paper, cardboard, glue, acrylic colors, crayons and varnish on canvas.
100x100x3cm
Berlin, December 2014
As I am sometimes slow with realizations of my ideas, I still have to finish some projects which I have started in passed years. For example “Playing” : videos project which I started in 2013 and series “Portraits of Situations” which was started in 2014 and it is still in progress. But sincerely I have to say that lately I feel a big need of doing abstract painting where there is nothing else then the description of feelings with a colours. So, this is what you can expect next from me. Thank you!
via veronika ban
@blunbluntv