“My paintings are an investigation of visual vocabularies; a playful exploration of form, colour combinations, and marks that represent a private, abstract language.”
Name
Julia Kaiser
Profession
artist
Website
Who are you? What do you do?
Hello, my name is Julia and I am a painter. I live in the centre of Amsterdam, together with my husband and our 9-year-old daughter. My studio is a 20-minute bike ride away from our home. I go there every day and paint. Currently, I create boldly contrasting large-scale abstract paintings.
Where are you from?
I grew up in Stein, a tiny village in the South of Germany, close to the Black Forest.
Your style in 3 words?
Analogue, colourful, striped
Your weakness? Your strength?
Weakness: I’m a slow decision maker / strength: I’m a good listener
What makes you different?
My paintings are an investigation of visual vocabularies; a playful exploration of form, colour combinations, and marks that represent a private, abstract language. I do not attempt to decode the symbols, only to find what resonates within me. I suppose that makes my work different.
When did you decide to become an artist?
My life has always been surrounded by art and art-making, and I knew that I wanted to be an artist at a very young age. It seemed natural since both my father and my grandfather had gone to art school. I studied Art and Design and after a short stay in San Francisco, I moved to Amsterdam where I obtained my MFA. Since a few years I am focussing entirely on painting.
What do you find most fascinating about your work?
Not knowing at all where you’re going and yet being extremely excited about it. I never thought that a process could be so fascinating and that work could feel so fulfilling and energising. Experiencing that everything you’ve done in the past subconsciously finds its way into your art. You never start from scratch.
A few words about your favourite creation?
My daughter. Undescribable.
Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…
I love to look at the paintings of Joanne Greenbaum, for example. Her persistence in developing her own universe of marks, shapes and lines motivates me a lot to keep on going. Last year I went to see a show of Charline von Heyl in Hamburg that made a big impression on me. I’m a huge fan of Roisin Murphy, in many ways.
Who would you like to work with someday and why?
I would love to cooperate with The Jaunt. They send artists on an inspirational trip to a place where they have never been before. After they return home, the artists create an artwork that is reproduced as a limited edition screen print. People can buy the prints before the artwork is created and thereby contribute to the trip.
A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?
My studio is situated in a huge industrial space. It would be fun to organise a group show there or maybe a workshop or an artist residency. Apart from that, I am planning an exhibition together with a spoken word artist, which brings together painting and poetry. And I would like to experiment with 3-dimensional work which adds up to my paintings.
Finish the sentence „More important than my career is…“
My family. Always.
2019: Where are we going?
I would like to show my work somewhere in Germany since I come from there. So who knows…
When the going gets tough…
Keep on painting
Your city’s favourite spots?
The bike tunnel under Rijksmuseum. Looking up you can see where Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” is hanging. Taking the ferry to Amsterdam Noord. Any spot, on the water. Café Thijssen in Jordaan quarter.
Put on your future vision glasses: What direction is our generation moving in, what will our world look like in 50 years?
At a certain point, people will hopefully be fed up with staring at screens and fake personalities. We have to face reality and act like human beings again.
What would you do if you could change the World?
Empower girls. Invest in education.
If the universe is everything and it’s expanding, what is it expanding into?
Into a multicoloured, striped disco ball.
Tell us about your future plans…
I want to stay productive. There is no plan really, I just want to continue making work. And I hope to connect with more artists and expand my blog intoherstudio.com.
Last but not least: what is your favourite Song?
„The time is now“ by Moloko
Any song that I manage to play on the guitar myself.
One last statement please: „Wood or stone, gold or art?“
Just gold
Your #…?
#neverusearuler #stripesarebeautiful
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