“I always love meeting other artists from different artistic fields and talk about their process…”
Name
Mirjam Elburn
Profession
Visual artist
Website
Where are you from?
Born in Siegen (NRW), now living in Dargun (MV), Germany
Your style in 3 words?
Experimental, cross-media, haptic.
Your weakness? Your strength?
Impatience. My strength is my curiosity and perseverance.
What makes you different?
I guess we luckily all are different.
When did you decide to become an artist?
It was a slow process, not a decision with a precise date. It took a while before I finally applied for art school worked, had a daughter and studied art history and history before..
Do you choose your art form, or does the form choose you?
Both, but I guess the form mostly chooses me as I work with found objects/ material a lot and the process is based on experimenting…
What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?
The experimental freedom – and that the process and the outcome still surprise me.
A few words about your favourite creation?
I cannot tell – I guess it is always the one I am working on at the moment – and then the one to come.
What surprised you most about your first art shows?
The fact that the setup went so naturally – and the conversations at the opening.
Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…
There are so many inspiring artist like Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, Mona Hatoum or Goya – so it’s hard to tell, but I always love meeting other artists from different artistic fields and talk about their process, collaborate with them – so this is very inspiring..
Who would you like to work with someday and why?
That is a difficult question – so many fascinating people. For my work at the moment I would love to work with a weaver, as I’m currently working with textiles, the production, the structure. In general | would love to work together with Denise Ritter, a befriended sound artist, because I appreciate her work and find her very different approach interesting and inspiring.
A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?
I always work on more than one project at the same time… lots of ideas and old sketches which might become a project. At the moment I am working on found photographic footage and a collaboration with a befriended English artist.
Finish the sentence “More important than my career…”
are my loved ones – family and friends – and health.
2024: Where are we going?
Hopefully somewhere good.
Do you think about time as an artist?
A very important factor – it often passes too quickly if I am working – and too slow if I am waiting for the development of an (photographic) experiment.
When the going gets tough…
I clear my space, turn the music louder and start working.
Put on your future vision glasses: What direction is our generation moving in,
what will our world look like in 50 years?
As I am turning 50 in a couple of years -I hope for the best for the next
generation and that people come closer together again, talk to each other and
solve problems together at eye level.
What would you do if you could change the World?
Where should I start? Create fair conditions, equal rights – access to
education, enough water and food for all. I think education is the key to all our
major problems.
What does freedom mean when it comes to art?
To do whatever comes to my mind without thinking about limits – time, money, space, success…
If the universe is everything and it’s expanding, what is it expanding into?
An expanded universe | guess.
Tell us about your future plans…
I am preparing an upcoming exhibition and building my studio so that there will be more space available for future.
Your city’s favourite spots?
I have been living in a very small town for a year now -there you have to drive a long way to get to fancy places shops, galleries etc. – but I really love to be in my garden and the barn, which is becoming my new studio.
A book that everyone should read..
That’s impossible to say as there are so many good books to read and new ones are always being added.
Last but not least: what is your favourite song?
The same thing applies there -I listen to a lot of different music- and it always depends on my current mood. A lot from PJ Harvey – happy to see her in concert in Berlin this summer.
One last statement please: “Wood or stone, gold or art?”
I always collect stones when I go for a walk, but: art – always!
Your #…
#mirjamelburn
