“Fear is stagnation. Having no fear is freedom.”
Name
Friederike Reveman
Profession
Artist
Website
Who are you? Where are you from?
I am Friederike and I am a painter. I was raised in West Germany and then moved to Berlin where I did my bachelor in Arts at the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig. In 2014, I completed my MFA at the New York Academy of Art. After living there for a couple of years I am now based in Berlin again.
Your style in 3 words
playful, instinctive, vaguely narrative
Your weakness? Your strength?
Having too many ideas. Having them all sorted out.
What makes you different?
I grew up pretty isolated, so I needed to be creative at a very young age. I basically found my peers in my imagination – not that I was crazy or anything, I just loved to invent various worlds and characters around my parents house. And my family had some artist friends who gave me painting lessons. I remember painting my first still live when I was just 5 years old.
When did you decide becoming an artist?
Very early. The thing that stood out and that I was best at was painting.
What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?
I think its very fascinating how sketching is maybe the most essential part of my process. For me drawing is almost like writing, clearing my thoughts and my experiences in everyday life…One drawing can lead to another, new ideas come up and after a time I finally know intuitively when I need to start with the actual painting.
A few words about your favorite creation?
I don’t necessarily have a favorite piece. Every now and then I find myself looking at things I did a while ago, and I am wondering how I did that. The way I see my work is constantly changing so do I as a person. A work you maybe did not like at all can be your best creation.
Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…
I look at the old masters, Goya, Manet…I really like Amy Sillman, Rita Ackermann, Dasha Shishkin, Micheal Williams. And most recently I found myself looking (again) at Henry Darger.
A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?
I just moved into a new studio and it’s (finally) a fantastic space. I can’t wait to start working there.
More important than my career is…
…my little family. My baby boy Aleph and my husband Joakim, who is an artist as well. They both give me strength and space to develop my craft.
2017: Where are we going?
Even though the world seems to get less secure, there should be no fear. Fear is stagnation. Having no fear is freedom.
When the going gets tough…
…which happens all the time I have to step back. And often what helps me get through tough times is to do exercise or yoga. Sometimes it means going places that inspire me.
Your city’s favorite spots
I really like the area around Potsdamer Strasse, there are many interesting galleries and Restaurants. I like to go for a “hildegard” (champagne and vodka) at the Victoria Bar for instance. I love shopping. In New York my favorite place was Beacon’s Closet. A very special vintage clothing place. Shops at that level seem to not exist here simply because people don’t really dress up the way here as they do in New York City. But there are a few places in Berlin where you can find special things. Also, there are great flea markets in Berlin. Neukölln. Schöneberg. Charlottenburg.
Do you have vision?
No not really… I like to be more in the presence…
Tell us about your future plans..
Lots of traveling, especially this coming winter I’d like to pack my bags and travel south or depending on a few things maybe spend some quality time in LA. I want to do some more residencies next year as well. Other than that I want to spend as much time in my studio to plan my next exhibition with my Gallery in Geneva.
