“More mindfulness. Having a good time together. Doing non-efficient-stuff.”
Name
Maximilian Neumann
Profession
Artist
Website
Where are you from?
I am born in Frankfurt but i am actually living and working in Hannover.
Your style in 3 words?
skillfully, gestural, carefull
Your weakness? Your strength?
I think concentration is my weakness and my strength. For me, it is often difficult to be or stay focused. But when I have a focus, it starts.
What makes you different?
I’m not sure if it is necessary to be different… to what? Everything I m doing has been done in the past. So I m trying to fill it with my spirit. Doing it joyfully and with fun.
When did you decide to become an artist?
During my school time. But the real decision came a lot in my time as an art student.
What do you find most fascinating about your work?
It usually takes me a long time to start working. Everything needs preparation. I love working with materials. Tension builds up over the preparation until it starts. When I have painted or drawn it is a relief. Usually, it is so close that the work disappears for a while. Sometimes for half a year or longer. The last magic surprise I had with a series of ink drawings that I hadn’t seen properly for 4 years. The moment when I unpack some works and think: oh did I do that !? The magic of distance lets me see my work differently. In the collective work, it is always unbelievable for me how complicated language is and what is released through the path of understanding. The energy that arises when many heads come together and the huge force that it costs.
A few words about your favourite creation?
I don’t think I have any specific work that stands out for me.
Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…
Steve Reich, Marc Camille Chaimowicz, Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Donald Judd, Joan Mitchell, faUSt, Nicolas Party
Who would you like to work with someday and why?
Not that easy to answer, but it would be nice to spend some time with Ben Sanders, Laila Gohar, and Simon Manoha. Ben Sanders is a funny guy and in the past, he has combined a lot of things he likes to do in one project. He seems to be a very good cook and he combined that with art in “chateau le sploosh”, a small art bar. I’d like to talk to him about that and his passion for bonsai. Laila Gohar has an impressive understanding of handling food and its artistic staging. It would be nice to go shopping for a meal with her. Simon Manoha is a musician, photographer, and ceramist. He makes cups, vases, jugs, and non-functional objects. He collects the clay and minerals for glazing in nature. I would like to join him on his forays one day.
A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?
I am planning a trip with my studio colleagues and a former flower market. The trailer is a traveling exhibition space and we have planned 5 stations. Hannover – Braunschweig – Leipzig and two in Berlin. At each stop, we have invited 3 artists who show their work together in this trailer. The artists themselves decide where the trailer will be and how it will be used. For us, it will also be a kind of studio visit. After the tour, there will hopefully be an exhibition with everyone involved in Hanover.
Finish the sentence „More important than my career is…“
I work in different collectives and share a studio with two other artists. Single-player and climbing any “ladder” is not my topic. If you will, career is the goal, to be independent with what I do. For me, career is embedded in collaborative work. It is more than the sum of all parts.
2021: Where are we going?
zig zag – trying to jump over all the oddities and obstacles.
When the going gets tough…
keep on going, till it’s done.
Put on your future vision glasses: What direction is our generation moving in, what will our world look like in 50 years?
I don’t know. There are many good attempts and some bad ones. It’s up to us to work for it. We’ll see where they lead us…
What would you do if you could change the World?
If I could change anything I would probably get rid of GDP. Seeing growth as a measure of everything harms people and nature. You have to pay attention to sustainability, pollution, and the question of whether people are okay. More mindfulness. Having a good time together. Doing non-efficient-stuff.
If the universe is everything and it’s expanding, what is it expanding into?
Maybe in a Blob. This unicellular fungus that is almost immortal…
Tell us about your future plans…
I started to set up a workshop for wood and ceramics with my studio colleagues. Now everything has to work out. So this year there will be more concentration on ceramics. In the end, we want to make this option available to our colleagues. Next step: a place for etching
Your city’s favourite spots?
My favorite places in summer are the Nordhafen and the Mittellandkanal. Fantastic places between nature and industrial urbanity.
Last but not least: what is your favourite Song?
At the moment I don`t have that one favorite song but last year two lovely friends of mine came around with that beauty and it’s a favorite of the last year I think: Franco Battiato – Cuccurucucù.
One last statement please: „Wood or stone, gold or art?“
Wood – Art
Your #…?
I don’t have a special one jet…
PAMPAS at KW Kunstraum Walshausen / On Show till 15th of June /Pictures: Volker Crone
