© Maria Konder, Look Pretty WG FITA, 2017
© Maria Konder, Look Pretty WG FITA, 2017

“…I have to start something, provoke myself and respond to that provocation, a sort of fight or dance.”

Name

Maria Konder

Profession

Artist

Website

mariakonder.com

© Maria Konder, 2017
© Maria Konder, 2017

Who are you? What do you do?

I am a painter, but I also sew and sketch daily.

Where are you from?

I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, grew up in Portugal, went to school in NYC and now live in London.

Your style in 3 words?

hobo chic mama

Your weakness?

Chocolate, alcohol and Instagram, a dangerous mixture…

Your strength?

Compassion and perseverance.

What makes you different?

I am the same as everybody else, different in the details.

© Maria Konder, Look Pretty, detail, oil on canvas, 2017
© Maria Konder, Look Pretty, detail, oil on canvas, 2017

When did you decide to become an artist?

As early as I can remember, I wanted to be a pirate/mermaid, marine biologist/archeologist and/or artist, around 7.

What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?

That it is completely autonomous…I have to start something, provoke myself & respond to that provocation, a sort of fight or dance. It is the closest thing to total freedom that I know.

A few words about your favourite creation?

A couple of years ago I started working freehand on a chapel mural in the interior (countryside) of Brazil. Without wifi, I would open the windows and door, and be surrounded by the sounds of nature. One day I hope to finish it and share the magic & love in a Gnostic celebration…!

Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…

Martial Raysse, Paula Rego, and Nina Chanel Abney.

A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?

I am part of a collective called Plástico Fantástico (a.k.a.WWWW) and this Summer we are collaborating with a few professors and students of the University of the Bahamas to put on a show at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, to do with sustainability, global warming, waste, and sea level rise, very exciting stuff!

Finish the sentence „More important than my career is…“

my family, (easy)!

2018: Where are we going?

Hopefully we are cleaning up the mess we made and taking care of what is left + (gender and racial) Equality and an end to gun violence.

 
© Maria Konder, Look Pretty, detail, oil on canvas, 2017
© Maria Konder, Look Pretty, detail, oil on canvas, 2017

When the going gets tough…

“be like water, my friend” Bruce Lee

Your city’s favourite spots?

I live and work in East London, and a few blocks from my studio in Bethnal Green are some of my favorite spots, the Approach Gallery with awesome shows and a great pub downstairs, Victoria park (with its Sunday farmers’ market) perfect for sunny day walks and the Museum of Childhood, perfect for rainy day inspiration.

Do you have a vision?

That we will come together and become our greater cosmic selves for World peace.

What would you do if you could change the World?

Free the dolphins, save the whales, clean the oceans & stop our dependency on oil and single use plastics, now!

Tell us about your future plans…

join the Rainbow Warrior/Sea Shepard or get a solar powered caravan and drive cross continents with my man and babies & make good art.

Last but not least: what is your favourite Song?

Bob Dylan’s Thunder on the Mountain

#…?

#paintedplasterheads

Approach Gallery

Museum of Childhood

♥ Follow Maria on Instagram