“Read poetry. It’s the most badass art form. Just pick something.”
Name
Lis Schröder
Profession
Artist working at the intersection of media art, music, and text
Website
Where are you from?
Münster, Germany
Your style in 3 words?
nerdy, funny, strict
Your weakness? Your strength?
hermitism
What makes you different?
I’m really between all chairs. I’m not just pretending.
When did you decide to become an artist?
2009
Do you choose your art form, or does the form choose you?
Mostly my subject chooses the art form.
What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?
When I manage to somehow do the right thing without really knowing what I’m doing.
A few words about your favorite creation?
In one of my last media art projects I slipped into the role of Heino, Joseph Beuys and the band Kraftwerk. I also incorporated the poet Heinrich Heine, whom I love very much. That’s one of my favorite works.
What surprised you most about your first art shows?
Both the unexpected indifference and the unexpected interest of the audience.
Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…
I could name many influences from different fields of art. But I would like to highlight two artists who have inspired me through the humor in their work. One is video and performance artist Shana Moulton, and the other is the poet Monika Rinck.
Who would you like to work with someday and why?
So far I have not been a particularly collaborative artist. But I would love to have a conversation with Michaela Melián or Jens Friebe. Michaela Melián’s work on historical themes, combined with pop cultural references, has left its mark on me. Jens Friebe is one of the best lyricists I know.
A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?
I prefer not to talk about new projects in advance. Superstition.
Finish the sentence „More important than my career is…“
health
2024: Where are we going?
We are in a state of turmoil, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of bad things are happening right now. We have to maintain and defend civilized interaction with one another under all circumstances. In the smallest situations in everyday life. Not an inch should be left to brutalization.
Do you think about time as an artist?
Yes. Always too little time, always too little.
When the going gets tough…
… I have a tea break.
Put on your future vision glasses: What direction is our generation moving in, what will our world look like in 50 years?
Honestly, I don’t want to think about the future right now. Rather, I sincerely hope that it will somehow be possible to end the multiple crises and conflicts of the present.
What would you do if you could change the World?
Destroy all weapons.
What does freedom mean when it comes to art?
Call me old-fashioned, but: maximum independence
If the universe is everything and it’s expanding, what is it expanding into?
“c’mon, I’m an artist, not an astrophysicist!”
Tell us about your future plans…
(pathos on) To be there for the people I love and don’t compromise on art. (pathos off)
Your city’s favorite spots?
My favorite tech shop just closed down so I have to think twice. The grave of Moondoog at the central cemetery in Münster. (The grave of Blinky Palermo is also nearby.)
The Dortmund-Ems canal in summer.
A book that everyone should read…
Read poetry. It’s the most badass art form. Just pick something.
Last but not least: what is your favorite Song?
OMG, I can’t reduce it to one song. But there’s a song by Jens Friebe that I always choose as the last song in mixtapes or playlists, called „Jede Menge Ziele“ (plenty of goals): ich hab jede Menge Ziele ihr habt vielleicht mehr aber ich hab auch ganz viele ich verrat sie euch bloß erst hinterher
One last statement please: „Wood or stone, gold or art?“
100% art
Your #…?
#lisschroeder
