Pia Kintrup | Germany
the nonexistent areas are of particular interest
open series, 2018 ongoing
The theme of my open series is the impact of borders and ultimate control in places that are designed to create a parallel world. These sceneries are artificial settings and constructions which create conflicts within our everyday life. The particular areas are excesses examples for staging, an imitation of the reality, and natural structures. They are especially in still life essential aspects of my recent artwork.
The whole series is build-up like the story in a novel, where the reader receives more and more information about a place or a planet, the reader didn't know before. The images are points of a net, which create a metaphorical place of imagination. The issue is to create a photographic, mixed media installation that brings a new perspective about universal themes such as control, staging, surveillance, and value. The images of this series and their presentation form quote the complexity and diversity of photography as a media.
the shallow, as part of the series: the nonexistent areas are of particular interest, C-Print mounted and framed in a black shadow frame, 53 cm x 80 cm, 2019, Edition 5+2AP
Contemporary Art Station: Tell us about how you got started. When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
I passed my whole childhood only by painting hours and hours. I produced tons of paintings on paper. Seen from the perspective of today, I guess that becoming an artist was already fixed in my early years.
CAS: What is your process like, from initial idea to the creation of the piece? Do you usually develop the idea for a project before you find the "canvas", or vice versa?
I'm used to working with a concept, but I'm experimenting a lot with material and sizes. I love to keep some space for exploration and accidents, which often leads to something completely new. In my opinion, especially in photography, every image has his one right presentation form and one perfect size. In my open series: the nonexistent areas are of particular interest, I always try to find the right style. The images of this series and their presentation quote the complexity and diversity of photography as a media.
CAS: What do you love most about your creative process?
I love the playing and experimenting part of the process. In the end, there are often some necessary steps, which can be very annoying, like retouching digital files, etc. But they have to be done. These small to do, which sometimes takes days, are not my favorite parts. :)
the path, as part of the series: the nonexistent areas are of particular interest, C-Print mounted and framed in a black shadow frame, 80 cm x 53 cm, 2020, Edition 5+2AP
CAS: What role does art and the artist play in the broader social conversation today?
In these times, when areas like Hong Kong are suffering under violent political repression like many other countries as well. And Australia is burning, showing us an apocalyptic vision of the future of the earth. In these dark times, art is more important than ever before.
CAS: Name a few of your favourite artists and influences.
There are so many exciting contemporary artists, which create essential and inspiring pieces.
For example, I admire the artwork of Alicja Kwade and Tomás Saraceno, which pushes the different genres forward.
CAS: What is the best advice you received as an artist?
The best advice was to work and to reflect the process, but not always at the same time.
CAS: When did you discover your voice as an artist?
It was already at the beginning of my studies that I noticed besides my love for photography, I have some interest in other forms of art. I'm bound somewhere between the two- and the threedimensional. I like to go into space and to leave the flatness of photography. I mean as photography shortens the perspective and transforms everything into one layer, which is a specific quality, which I'm interested in too. I like still life in photography, but I also like the "still life aspect" in sculptures. For me, it has ever been a movement between the two- and the threedimensional. I'm more comfortable with photography, but I'm doing a movement back and forth, into space, and then back to photography, which is my base.
CAS: What advice would you give to emerging artists trying to find their own?
For me, the key to growing as an artist is to use periods of experimenting and playing - even in the craziest ways. And afterward, to step back and to reflect and observe what you've done, what it is, or what it could become. Where could these experiments and experience lead to?
the sphere, as part of the series: the nonexistent areas are of particular interest, C-Print mounted and framed in a black shadow frame, 100 cm x 66 cm, 2019, Edition 5+2AP
