"Crazy Sh*t"- Interview part 2

Interview with Julia Beck continued

Julia: We were just talking about your way into business, more precisely managent consulting. You've been very successful in that field, even becoming a vice president in one of the big consulting firms, and now running your own company with prestigious clients.

Why did you come back to painting?

Imke:Some experiences are so profound that your inner world collapses at first. If you can accept the pain, it creates a huge space for something new. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful box of paints at hand at such a moment, and I just started painting.Painting helped me to reconnect with myself in the chaos of my emotions.It was like coming home. Gradually the pain, grief and anger turned into colours and shapes. And I felt a great, childlike joy and wonder at what was emerging. Total flow. Often I'd put the brush down late at night, only to run to the canvas first thing in the morning to see what I'd created the night before. Through painting I was able to visibly transform painful experiences into something inspiring, vibrant, encouraging and beautiful. I experienced 'becoming' in such a joyful way that I was finally ready to allow myself to embrace what I had always been, an artist.

Julia: "Reminds me of David Bowie when he said 'Ageing is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been'. What kind of art emerged from this process? How would you describe your paintings now?

Imke:Fittingly, I started with moths on rather bright, bold backgrounds - the relative of the butterfly, perhaps unconsciously symbolic of my own transformation, that started wih these paintings. The moths are long gone. Today my works appear at first glance to be rather abstract and colourful, with an energetic tone. On closer inspection they reveal a universe populated by vibrant creatures inspired by Pop Art. Every painting is a journey of discovery. I remain curious, nomn- judgemental and let the emerging colours and patterns lead the way.

Julia: Do you see a special role for art in society?

Imke: Above all, I see art as a part of who we are, from the very beginning. Even cavemen communicated through pictures. Our brains love art and storytelling; it's so deeply ingrained that we're no longer aware of it. We're just beginning to study the effects of art on mental health.For a few years now there's been a branch of neuroscience devoted to this, which shows that art stimulates our biochemical 'feel-good' systems and the area of the brain responsible for self-reflection - but only when we look at originals.Then there's the political significance that art can have, and the status boost it can give to its owners.Art is essential, especially in these times of major global shifts in political and economic power and the exponential growth of AI. Creating and surrounding oneself with original art is like tapping into an endless and very sustainable source of energy.

Julia:How do you feel when you look at your art today?

Imke:It just makes me happy and gives me energy. In my paintings I encounter the infinite possibilities of life - its struggles, doubts, chaos, ugliness, death, vanity, humour, connection, alienation, dreams and nightmares - and hope. All there, all at once - a colourful cosmos - surprising and irritating in detail. Any artistic practice contributes to inner balance, nourishes the soul and is a wonderful practice in 'becoming'. A "practice in becoming" is a phrase I love.I'm proud to borrow it from an English actor whose name I haven't found yet.

Julia:There are endless ways to create a painting. Do you have any idea why you create something that I would like to call "storytelling on canvas"?

Imke: I have always been fascinated by the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and the world, the power of these stories, how they shape our perception of the world. My paintings remind me of this never-ending storytelling that occupies our minds day and night.All these unnamed creatures that appear, disappear and have a life of their own.I have a very active intuition, which is great, but to be honest I often don't listen and sometimes my inner voice speaks to me in a language I can't understand.That's why I think the words and symbols in my paintings are often indecipherable, written in languages that may never be deciphered.Above all, my art is an exercise in trusting the creative process, which knows no detours or mistakes.

Julia:I'm glad you like your paintings ... a pertinent question remains: What do you hope your art will evoke in others?

Imke : I simply hope that my art brings joy and fills rooms with positive energy and creative power, which I consider an important resource to build the future with confidence. I like to think that my paintings couuld be an invitation to embracing inner complexity and seeing it not as something to resolve or fix but as a source of resilience and renewal. But no doubt contemporary art acts as a mirror for the viewer. In my experience the reaction to my pictures, what people see and feel is -and should be- very individual.

© Imke Keicher 2024