I stumbled upon Alma’s work on Instagram and was immediately fascinated by it. It’s like little moments of life have been captured with all emotions, experiences, facets, conversations, etc. It sharpens your view on the little moments, the in-between moments, all conversations which don’t consist of words and nuances of feeling that life consists of.

For the following I asked Alma if she wants to do an interview with me:

Luna Maluna Gri: Tell me a bit about yourself and your work. How and why did you start creating art?

Alma Berrow: My journey into art began in my youth, fostered by supportive parents who encouraged my creative inclinations. After studying at Falmouth University, initially pursuing an Art and Design Foundation and a year of Fashion BA, I ventured into various professions, all of which had a creative component. It was during the lockdown period, while residing with my mother, a skilled ceramicist named Miranda Berrow, in Dorset, that I discovered ceramics in her studio, amid limited personal space.

LMG: What role does creating art play for you?

AB: Art creation is an intrinsic aspect of my being. From a young age, I found solace and expression in artistic endeavors. Drawing, in particular, has served as a medium for emotional release and introspection. Over time, I’ve come to view my artistic practice as a form of therapy, facilitating the exploration and processing of memories, emotions, and thoughts.

LMG: What does your creating process look like?

AB: My creative process is pretty loose. I usually start with a vague idea scribbled down and then dive into the clay. I don’t aim for hyper-realism; I’m more about capturing the essence or feeling of an object rather than its exact replica. Through this process I hope to capture people’s attention long enough to recognise the object while also noting the object is not in fact the object at all. It’s all about play for me—letting my imagination run wild.

LMG: What inspires you?

AB: I find inspiration in humanity itself, in our quirks and idiosyncrasies. I love freezing these little moments in time and immortalizing them in ceramic form.

LMG: What is your experience with the art world?

AB: I got a taste of the art world early on, thanks to my parents who were avid collectors. Growing up surrounded by art, going to exhibitions, and having deep chats about it was a real privilege. Every realm has its ups and downs, but I think it’s all about choosing which side you want to focus on each day.

LMG: Is there something you want to change about the art world? If yes, what and why?

AB: If given the opportunity, I would advocate for enhanced support systems for emerging artists, particularly the younger generation. The art industry can be daunting, with numerous complexities to navigate, such as gallery dynamics, commission percentages, expense coverage, and transparency regarding collectors. I believe there is a gap in openly disseminating this crucial information to artists embarking on their creative journey, and addressing this gap could empower emerging talents to navigate the art world more confidently.

LMG: What do you think is/are the role/-s of artists and art in our society?

AB: Artists and art play pivotal roles in our society. Art is storytelling. Works capture the essence of the artist’s time, reflecting not only their own experiences but also the broader cultural and social dynamics at play. In a world increasingly driven by technology, the importance of arts and crafts is so important, offering a tangible and immersive experience, taking us away from the screen. Art serves as a bridge between past, present, and future, preserving cultural heritage while inspiring innovation. It also fosters empathy, dialogue, and social change, reminding us of the intrinsic value of beauty, creativity, and individual expression in our lives.

LMG: What artist/artists would you like to meet (dead or alive) and if you had one question what would you ask them?

AB: If I could meet with any artist, it would definitely be Niki De Saint Phalle. I’ve grown to love her work because of my mom. One dream of mine is to visit the Tarot Gardens someday, and I’d love to chat with her about how she came up with those incredible creations. Although I saw Dalis Madonna in NY last year and would love to talk about this art work with him too…it blew me away.

LMG: Is there something you want to achieve in your art life? Dreams? Future plans? Or projects you would like to do?

AB: I’ve got a whole bunch of dreams and ambitions swirling around in my head when it comes to life, love, and of course, art. But lately, I’ve been trying to dial it back a bit and focus more on being present in the moment. It’s my little New Year’s resolution—to live more in the now instead of constantly scheming for the future.

LMG: Do you think there is something you can bring to this world through your work as an artist which you couldn’t in any other field of work?

AB: I hope so, creativity has always been an incredibly important tool for me. I have a degree in creative youth work. In the not too distant future I hope to be able to use this degree to help empower others to find expression and a voice through creativity.

Copyright to all photos and artworks: Alma Berrow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almaberrow/ 

Website: https://www.almaberrow.com

I met Magdalena’s art at this years PARALLEL Vienna and was immediately drawn in by it. The work is vulnerable in a way, deeply touching but at the same time holds a lot of strength and power. Which is further underlined by a use of of a mix of strong and shining and soft colours.

For the following I asked Magdalena if she wants to do an interview with me: 

Luna Maluna Gri: Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.

Magdalena Herzog: I’m Magdalena, I’m an artist from Austria and I’m currently based in Linz. Right now I’m studying at the University of Arts in Linz and before that I was doing a painting school in Graz and I also started studies of psychology and art history in Vienna. About my work; I’m a figurative painter, I love exploring vivid colour combinations, I mainly work with topics of intimacy and human relations, memories and moments of stillness. I guess, I’m inspired by my everyday life, by the people that surround me or what I see and what I pick up from my surroundings.

LMG: How and why did you start painting?

MH: I started as a kid. I always loved drawing and at some point I just never stopped. With time it just became more and more and I started to work with coloured pencils and then found my love for colours. I also had a teacher at school that saw my interest and tried to support me in what I’m doing. Then I started painting and I really love to work with colours and just the opportunity that it gives you. There is so much freedom in painting with oil and so much possibilities on how to create a work. 

LMG: What role does creating art play for you?

MH: I really love this process when an idea comes to life. Some thoughts you had on the inside gets transferred to the outside and you are now able to share it with others. A dream, a thought, an idea or something you had in your mind that was at first only visible for yourself to see, is then visible for others to see also, you are able to share it through your artwork. But also, I think it’s something you can’t quite control. You have an intention of what you want to tell the viewer, what story to create or what your thought behind something was but it’s not you communicating directly, it’s the artwork communicating with the viewer and I feel it’s a very tender form of communication because the person viewing it can still decide of how much they want to get involved in it. It’s not pushed upon them. They get to decide the level of involvement they want to have with the artwork, what thought they want to put into it when viewing it and what to receive from it, so that makes it somehow more subtle and tender than a direct communication. 

LMG: What does your creating process look like? 

MH: I work a lot with sketchbooks and drawing. I like to capture moments or colours or something that interests me in my surroundings. I usually have a lot of ideas gathered up and then I just need to figure out what the topic is or the idea that works for me right now to work on and then I just pick one. I draw a lot before I paint and I also think about the colour scheme that I would like or which would fit for these paintings. But usually that also changes a lot while starting a painting, it’s such a different thing, like having this idea of what it’s going to be like and then I start but then it’s completely different but that’s also fine, I think that’s a good quality to not be too stiff on the idea beforehand but give yourself this freedom that it transforms into something completely different while painting it because you can’t just transfer the idea in your head directly the way it is on the wall, that’s most of the times not how it works. Some things come up along working and you get other ideas and seeing okay, this actually doesn’t work, but something else might work something good comes out of that. 

LMG: What inspires you?

MH: I get inspiration from my surroundings and my everyday life. The relations I have with other people or that I observe. I also get inspiration from nature, different colours and from different light scenes and how the light interacts with the surface of the human body. But also from other artworks. Looking at art history and seeing painters that enjoy, asking myself why I do enjoy them and how they dealt with colour, with the brushstrokes, what topics did they deal with, how do they relate to me and what solutions did they find in terms of composition in their paintings. And it’s just a lot of trial and error, to see what works for yourself and what doesn’t work. 

LMG: What is your experience with the art world? 

MH: I feel like I don’t have that much experience with the art world yet, since I’m also still in this University context but what I can say about studying art is that for me it gave me an access to this art world. I feel like if you are not inside of this bubble it’s really hard to get a grip of the art world.

LMG: Is there something you want to change about the art world? If yes, what and why?

MH: I think it’s still very exclusive. Starting with art history. The main art history that is taught is still this art history based on white male western art and I feel like there still needs to be so much more done in terms of visibility of other artists, for women artists, for artists of colour or the whole LGBTQIA+ community. Also when it comes to who are the people that have access to art, there this whole art world, viewing art, buying art, seeing art or learning about it, it’s still something that is only available to this small, exclusive group of people. So, I wish the art world would be more inclusive and there would be an easier access for everyone.

LMG: What do you think is/are the role/-s of artists and art in our society? 

MH: I don’t know if there is one specific role that I would give to the artist but maybe it’s about keeping dreams alive. It’s a way of communication and a way of creating dreams, it’s about sharing your thoughts with other people, but I’m not sure that I would say that it has this one specific role in the world. 

LMG: What artist/artists would you like to meet (dead or alive) and if you had one question what would you ask them? 

MH: I would love to meet Paula Modersohn Becker, Suzanne Valadon, Mary Sassatt, Pierre Bonnard, Peter Doig andInès Longevial. I don’t have a specific question, I would just like to watch them paint for a while. 

LMG: Is there something you want to achieve in your art life? Dreams? Future plans? Or projects you would like to do?

MH: For now I just want to continue painting. Maybe at some point I also want to explore other mediums. For my near future I will do an exchange semester starting in February and I will go to Korea. I’m pretty excited to learn more about Korean art, Korean art history and meeting a lot of new inspiring people there. As for dreams or further away plans I generally enjoy residencies, so I’m hoping to have the chance to have more residencies in different countries and also to have more exhibitions. 

LMG: Do you think there is something you can bring to this world through your work as an artist which you couldn’t in any other field of work? 

MH: I’m not sure, I definitely hope for it. I chose to do it because I just love to paint and I love to create and I certainly hope that I can express myself through it in a way that I couldn’t in any other way. 

Copyright of the 3^rd and 4^th photos: Rudolf Strobl

Copyrights to all other photos and all artworks: Magdalena Herzog

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magdalena__herzog/

Website: https://magdalenaherzog.com

I came across Violetta’s artworks on Instagram and was immediately taken by them. The strong and powerful colours immerse you in them and although the canvas is not physically moving you can feel the movement which is ingrained in the works, how alive they are. It’s like they are taking you by their hand and dance with you, a dance of different emotions, going straight to the heart.

For the following I asked Violetta if she wants to do an interview with me: 

Luna Maluna Gri: Tell me a bit about yourself and your work. 

Violetta Ehnsperg: I’ve already lived a couple of very different lives and I continue to be amazed about how much fits into one human life. For the past decade I was a loving mom and I painted for my inner peace. I gave it both 100% so it was a beautiful 200% decade. 

LMG: How and why did you start creating art? 

VE: A friend painted and I got hooked. That’s the simple answer. Also when I get hooked on something I don’t let it go before I’ve put in my ten thousand hours to honour the craft. A decade later I still find painting to be a perfect method for me to connect to myself as well as express that self to others. 

LMG: What role does creating art play for you?


VE: Creating art actually feels like role play – honest, blue collar role play. I listen to my guts and put color to canvas accordingly. I don’t judge, I don’t explain, I don’t defend. I act out.




LMG: What does your creating process look like? 

VE: Start off with White, add some pink, light blue, some more pink, some black on the left. Some more pink. Like that. 

LMG: What inspires you? 

VE: Every single thing I see, touch or feel has the potential to inspire me – mostly though: my friends, my son, the sea, love. 

LMG: What is your experience with the art world? 


VE: My experience with the art World is the same as my experience with the rest of the world – deeply positive. For a playful character like myself the whole process from making art to selling it is a great ride – challenging of course – quite a trip. The two faces of the coin are: me producing art and me connecting to the world for others to experience my art. i made both roles my home. 

LMG: Is there something you want to change about the art world? If yes, what and why? 

VE: The two things I can change hands on is how I act and how I perceive the actions of others. I hence take myself seriously and I enjoy when others around me do the same. 

LMG: What do you think is/are the role/-s of artists and art in our society?

VE: The role of the artist is no different than the role of everyone else. Find their way., their peace, find what connects them to the eternal. for themselves. Then, if that’s what feels right: share it. 

LMG: What artist/artists would you like to meet (dead or alive) and if you had one question what would you ask them? 

VE: Prince – “more wine?” 

LMG: Is there something you want to achieve in your art life? Dreams? Future plans? Or projects you would like to do?


VE: I want to continue to hold space and fill it. I want to continue to be open to collaborations. I want the fun to continue. 

LMG: Do you think there is something you can bring to this world through your work as an artist which you couldn’t in any other field of work?

VE: I believe that the best soil for honest expression is Freedom- I have tried a number of fields of work and I can clearly say that art is the most free. 

Copyright Portraits: © Nil Ehnsperg

All other photographs and artworks: © Violetta Ehnsperg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/violetta_ehnsperg_/

Website: https://www.violettaehnsperg.com

For the following I asked Marie if she wants to do an interview with me: 

Luna Maluna Gri: Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.

Marie – Therese Blecha: I’m Marie – Therese, I’m 23 and I live in Vienna. My driving teacher says I’m too carefree for the outside world, which probably explains why I don’t have a driving license yet, but lightheartedness, that will always be a part of me. My art on the other hand represents more of what I don’t show to the outside world, because I process more the subconscious and express visually what I hold back verbally. 

LMG: How and why did you start creating art?

MTB: I would say, because even as a child I was never that good at expressing verbally what was going on inside of me so I quickly found a way to translate my thoughts into visual language by drawing and painting, I was pretty young, and I was able to depict things on paper that were difficult to put into words and somehow it also had something therapeutic to it. So over the time it developed from an initial impulse to an inner urge to continue in this way. And my work now consists of fine art and conceptual work, so it’s more like either drawings and paintings or sometimes also interactive performances or conceptual work installations and I don’t like to limit myself to just one medium because for me it depends more on the topic than the medium. 

LMG: What role does creating art play for you?

MTB: For me, it’s the most honest and easiest way to process what’s going on inside me. Every person has their own way of doing it, for me it’s in the visual language.

LMG: What does your creating process look like?

MTB: There is two, it’s the impulsive or the deliberate way. The impulsive process is, I let my hand guide me and then after I confront myself with the topic. So it just happens impulsively, I don’t think much during. The deliberate process starts with an idea, I deal with a topic in advance, do research etc. and then I carefully take everything apart in the process until I put it all back together again. This is usually how my conceptual works happen.

LMG: What inspires you?

MTB: I like being around people, so I would say this inspires me the most. It can also be short encounters which leave some sort of a resonance or something, or interpersonal interactions that I observe pick up on later. Talking to people, being somewhere is always very inspiring to me. 

LMG: What is your experience with the art world?

MTB: I’m not the biggest fan of the art world, or art bubble I would say. I mean, there are many, many events and exhibitions in Vienna that I always enjoy visiting. You can network there, you can get to know new impressions, etc. but this elitism of the art world bothers me, so I wouldn’t necessarily want to be associated exclusively with it. I like to make my art, I like to bring it to the outside world, I like to go to exhibitions and everything but, for example, I don’t care if somebody studies at a famous art university or something, that doesn’t matter and it shouldn’t be as important as it is. 

LMG: Is there something you want to change about the art world? If yes, what and why?

MTB: It’s so exclusive, I don’t like that. I also find it too artificial that many people want to appear elitist. I’d like it if the art world would also be accessible to people who are not in the art scene but are interested. This elbow society has no place there.

LMG: Yeah, I often feel like people are a bit deterred to really get in contact, which is sad because this exchange would be so enriching. 

MTB: Yes definitely, I agree.

LMG: What do you think is / are the role / -s of art and art and artists in our society?

MTB: Artists are witnesses of their time. And every artist communicates differently. That’s what makes it so diverse and also unique. Every artist has their own way of expressing themselves, their own experiences, observations that they share. And what stays with the observer, what makes them think, makes them feel emotions, inspires them, is unique and irreplaceable.

LMG: What artist /-s would you like to meet (alive or dead) and if you had one question what would you ask them?

MTB: I wouldn’t have a specific question in mind but I would love to spend a day with Sophie Calle and stalk other people (laughs). That would be funny! I guess that’s what comes to my mind. 

LMG: Is there something you want to achieve in your art life? Dreams? Future plans? Or projects you would like to do?

MTB: Having fun at work is extremely important to me and I really want to keep it that way. In the future I also would like to have a co-working space because, I love working alone on my art and switching off, being by myself, kind of like in a therapeutic way but sometimes an exchange is also good. Kind of like musicians, the are always jamming together and I think it would be cool to find or create something like that in an art context. To have a place where people from all kind of artistic disciplines meet and work there together. I think that would be my plan for the future, to do something like this, but that’s in the future so we’ll see. 

LMG: Do you think there is something you can bring to this world through your work as an artist which you couldn’t in any other field of work?

MTB: In my opinion you make art first and foremost for yourself. If you do it for others I feel like it’s not good. You can see it like a diary entry because you don’t care wether your own personal diary entry is well or badly received. A diary entry for example is my personal processing of things, my worries, my needs, my observations which in this case are shared with the world and when you do that you make it accessible to the audience. To the audience that can resonate with it in some way. Either it triggers an emotion or provokes discussion or whatever, and that is what makes it so unique and real because I couldn’t find this in another field or in any other work. For example I’m also a graphic designer and I love that but still design in general serves as a function, it has to have like a purpose, it has to appeal to the outside, it has to functionality to itself and art doesn’t. Art is not about pleasing others in my opinion, it’s more about sharing my own authentic voice and this is what I love about it so much. 

Copyright Portraits: © Jonas Subotic

All other photos and artworks: © Marie – Therese Blecha

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariexxtherese/

Website: https://mariethereseblecha.myportfolio.com

For the following I asked Anna if she wants to do an interview with me: 

Luna Maluna Gri: Tell me a bit about yourself and your work. 

Anna Pelz: I’m from Vienna, 26 years old and I’m currently doing my Masters in TransArts at the University of Applied Arts. I like to experiment with different media but I’m mostly painting and also doing objects, ideally I like to combine them all in immersive room installations. 

LMG: How and why did you start making art? 

AP: I’ve always been doing some kind of creative stuff, like crafting or drawing, painting as a kid already. I think my parents supported that and it was always like a natural thing to do. Over time I found out that it might be possible to do that professionally. When I was twenty I started studying art after doing a diploma in graphic design. 

LMG: What role does art play for you? 

AP: I think it’s a tool for expressing myself and transforming feelings and thoughts. It’s also a way of communicating and a bit like a metabolism. 

LMG: What does your creative process look like? 

AP: I think it’s melting together with everyday life. I like to take notes and I’m always scribbling something down. I might read something that inspires me and I frequently make time to paint or play with materials. 

LMG: So is your starting point always text? 

AP: Not always. I think sometimes it just happens in the process. I make time to be in my studio where I store my different materials, then I might start painting and when it drys I take some other materials and start to do some kind of object or maybe watch an interesting interview that gives me a new impulse. I also have my notebook where I write down concepts for example. 

LMG: What inspires you?

AP: Everyday life, my own feelings, what’s going on in the world, things I read, music, other artists and topics of psychology or biology or feminism

LMG: What is your experience with the art world? 

AP: I think that’s hard to say. On one hand there is a lot happening in Vienna which is great and it’s always what you make of it. I think there are many opportunities to do something and be a part of it. On the other hand the art world in general is kind of elitist and there are a lot of unwritten rules which doesn’t make it so easy to enter. I think, also with the next question (“Is there something you would change about the art world and if yes, what?”), that it could be more open, maybe less classist and there could be more women or not cis male people, in important positions and it’s just also a mirror of the rest of society. 

LMG: What do you think is/are the role/-s of art and artists in our society? 

AP: I like to think of it as a catalyst. There is empathy when a piece resonates with someone in a way and just moves people, I think there is a special power in that. In the best way it could be a field where we can explore what is happening around us, a way to process, look at something from different point of views, I think that also adds to society. I also think there is something beautiful in producing something “useless”, I mean there is a use to art, but in a way useless in a world that is very driven by productivity. I’ve recently came across the theory that if we can stop and appreciate something beautiful, from an evolutionary perspective, it makes us feel safe because it communicates that we are safe when we can appreciate something beautiful that is not really useful to us, and I think that’s also a beautiful way to think about art.

 

LMG: Which artist/-s (dead or alive) would you like to meet and if you had one question what would you ask them? 

AP: I think there are many! The first one is Pipilotti Rist, then Tracy Emin would be interesting, Martha Jungwirth, Maria Lassnig or Louise Bourgeois. Happily there are many interviews with these artists which can answer some questions already, but I think it would be interesting to know how they managed to navigate through the art world, to combine their true expression with also surviving in a capitalistic society as an artist. I think that also has changed over time but it would still be interesting because it’s something that’s rarely openly talked about. 

‘Damen(b)art’

LMG: Is there something you want to achieve in your art life? Dreams? Future plans? Or projects you would like to do? 

AP: There are many ideas that I still want to see come to life. I think it would be nice to have more space to fill and to make even bigger immersive experiences, also to play with performance. In the more distant future I think what is nice about having exhibitions in bigger, more established places, is that there is a bigger audience. I think that it would be nice to share what I do with more people and see their interaction (with the works), that would be interesting. Also I’d like to improve my skills in different fields and combine them. 



LMG: Do you think there is something you can bring to this world through your work as an artist which you couldn’t in any other field of work? 

AP: There certainly are many ways to add to society but I think with art it’s maybe the most sensual way to do so. As I said I think art can be a free field to explore what’s going on within us and around us and that’s also an important part for society. Art can also add to many different fields which could be further explored. It can give a different angle to something in a maybe playful way. 

Copyright of all photos and artworks: Anna Pelz


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farbmilieu/

Website: https://www.pelzanna.com

For the following I asked Ana if she wants to do an interview with me: 

Luna Maluna Gri: Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.

Ana Loureiro: My name is Ana Loureiro and I’m a visual artist. I call myself that even though my main study is painting. I studied painting for four years at the faculty of fine arts at Porto University. I finished ten years ago and I moved to Vienna in 2013. I came here to do Erasmus (at the Academy of fine arts) for one semester, which was my graduation semester and I really liked the city. After I was finished with my studies I decided to move to Vienna and in the beginning it was kind of experimental because I didn’t know if I will be able to do something here as a foreigner and it’s always very challenging to adapt to a new place, there are always a lot of barriers, but I did it my way and it took some time to understand how it works here, how I can establish myself as an artist here. About my work; nowadays it goes more into multimedia, I work with a lot of different mediums. In the last four – five years I started to do more work about the relationship between architecture and memory, the memory and space. In the beginning I started to approach it in a very autobiographical way. I dug inside the spaces where I lived and I started to develop that project because the first years of being in Vienna I was moving constantly from place to place, so everything was very impermanent. I find it interesting to analyze this and to analyze all those changes and how all the moving around influenced my relationships with others, with the people I was living with, my attachment to those places and to analyze this relationship between the memory and the space. Nowadays I’m working more with the challenges of communication and my newest project goes a bit out of the memory and space area. It’s still in it’s experimental stages and it’s more about this idea of you wanting to say something but sometimes you don’t find the correct words. Even in your own language, it can sometimes be a bit challenging because sometimes you have this difficulty in finding the correct expression and words in a situation and sometimes you even feel more comfortable expressing it in other ways (like drawing for example). Sometimes the feelings and emotions take control of your rational side and sometimes communicating those emotions can be tricky. So it’s also about creating a self code to communicate those ideas and it can be through different ways. Now it’s a little bit about myself, the things that surround me, my thoughts about different situations or some situations that happened in my life recently, so it’s also about expressing those feelings and those emotions with a specific code that I feel that fits more with what I was going through at the moment and the feeling(s) I had then. 

LMG: It’s interesting to find out which way works better in different situations to communicate different things.

AL: Yes and that’s the challenge. What I’m always trying to achieve in my work is to find out which is the best medium to communicate that idea or which fits the work, the topics or what you want to say more I try to complement the theoretical part and the practical part to find a middle term, like a bond, that connects both of them. For me, with my work the most important thing is the personal aspect of it. The viewer will see the work and probably will not understand it or they will be a bit confused. Past a very clear message, I like to make you think. And I think that is also what art is about in my perspective, it’s making you think and not giving you all the answers. Of course each artist is an individual so the results will always be different.

LMG: How and why did you start creating art?

AL: I don’t know exactly when I started, I think it was a process. I always knew as a kid what I wanted to be. I knew that it’ll be something related to creativity. In the beginning I was more into performance arts because I started dancing when I was a kid and I also started to study music, so art was always in my life since I was very young but it was not something that was imposed on me by anyone. It was something that I really wanted to discover by myself and I remember that all my activities were always very connected with creativity. It was something very natural. Then in High School, at least in Portugal, the system makes you select what you want to study in your time at school (Humanities, Arts, Science,…). At the time I picked visual arts, so the main focus of my High School years were on art. As a class we then also started to do some exhibitions with a professor. I grew up in a small town in Portugal which is not very developed in the cultural field, so we were a little bit isolated, trying to do things and initiatives. Then when I went to University I was very divided between music and fine arts but I decided to take fine arts because I found it to be overall more inclusive and more open to different things. At the faculty everything was very intense. We had so much courses and less time although our study was four years, we had so many courses to do and not so much time to work on our Portfolio and it was actually in Vienna when I came to the Academy that I had this opportunity to develop myself more into an individual artist and I could work more developing my Portfolio and what I really wanted to do. It was a very smooth process and I would say that I started to create art in High School but it was here, after I finished my studies, that I could start to do the things that I could call my art or what I really like to do within art. 

‘Substratum of memories, participant #1’ by Ana Loureiro

LMG: What role does creating art play for you?

AL: I will not say that it’s my life but it’s very connected with it. It’s like a necessity that I have of pulling this out and to do something with it. It’s sometimes like an urgency of using my life and what surrounds me and experiences that I make. It’s nice to work on a topic or an issue and explore it. It’s like a raw material to express and it’s something natural like breathing, a necessity. For me my works have this role in my life to use it as a material to understand, analyze and also research.

LMG: What does your creating process look like?

AL: Sometimes I feel like I make things in a very automatic way, also because of my studies, since where I studied first there was a very special care and a special and focus when you have a topic which you want to talk about, to do more theoretical research about it, see what other artists did, then you start to understand which methods, which techniques will fit better for what you want to say or what you want to portray and then start to do the work. So, I’d say my working method is very based on trying to bind theory and the more practical part together. For me it’s very important to have a base. I would not say research because that can be something very complex but more like a study about the topic that I want to do and then I make it. Sometimes it also depends on the time that I have to work on an artwork or project because sometimes the practical part can take a very long time, so I can not spend the time that I would want to digging into the research part. Of course I can do that in the future in the next steps of the project or with another project which is inspired by the one before. It’s always a balance of these two that are important in my working process.

LMG: What inspires you?

AL: It’s everything around me that inspires me and can be used as a subject for my work. I’m a bit of a sponge and I try to use it as something that I can use as an approach in my work. I would say the people around me, the environment around me, what happens nowadays in the world and arounds us, the daily life. 

‘Tell me, how was your day?’ by Ana Loureiro

LMG: What is your experience with the art world?

AL: From what I experienced it’s very bittersweet. It’s a very competitive world and there are not so many opportunities for artists. My experience has been hard, in the sense of that it took time until I found the right way and until I found the people that are interested in showing my works. But I would say in Vienna I found more people who were more open to show my works and they were more interested in them and I found more support financially, so more motivation to go through with it. It’s always complex to find your own audience that will be able to showcase you and your work. From that point on you will be able to get more and more and more opportunities. It’s been bittersweet because I come from a country where there are not a lot of opportunities. In Vienna it’s very nice because you feel like there is more cooperation between artists and there is this sense of community, which in contrast to my hometown, there was not so much of that spirit, so I like to be here. But this is also very connected with social and economic reasons. Because when there is a more fragile economy there are less opportunities. This creates more competition and a lack of community, sometimes people are looking for opportunities for themselves and they are afraid of losing. I tasted a bit of the negative and the positive side so it was a process I would say. But now a lot of artists are still facing precarity and it’s always a fight to look for fair pay. 

LMG: Is there something you would want to change about the art world? If yes, what and why?

AL: Yes, there are a lot of things that really need to be changed. Being an artist is living in this uncertainty, because you might sell something or you might get a funding or a scholarship which might give you money and stability for four, five months or a year, but then you never know what comes next, you never know if you’ll be able to get more support, to not only produce your artworks, but to survive. This is something where it is urgent to find a way to not make artists feel afraid of what’s coming next and give them more basic stability to continue on producing and surviving. What is also starting to get more common is that we almost have to pay to work. Nowadays, I see a lot of calls for proposals or applications where the artist has to pay for almost everything, you have to pay to apply and send our portfolio, you have to pay to have a space and then you have to pay for shipping your works, basically you have to pay for work and this is insane in my opinion. Of course, if you are not able to get funding or some financial support to cover all or at least some of these expenses, it is impossible to manage it. Some fees are really very high! A portfolio is like our CV, even more important than our CV, it’s actually who you are as an artist. For example, it’s like applying to work in a shop where they ask you for your CV and then you have to pay to send it, or you have to pay to have a job interview. I think this doesn’t happen in regular jobs, that you have to pay for someone to check your CV, etc. In some cases, if you want to exhibit you have to pay for all of these extra things, sometimes they are inviting you but you have to assume all the expenses and sometimes even give a commission of the selling. In the past there were just some countries that were doing in this way but nowadays it is starting to be very common worldwide. Sadly, also some initiatives and art organizations are struggling to survive and their sponsors are not enough to cover everything. This is a very complex issue but it shouldn’t be mostly the artist to pay the consequences. Unfortunately, there are very good opportunities which operate in this way and it starts to get very complicated to avoid it. This puts us in an even more precarious situation, even more than we already are. It’s not equal because this means not all artists will be able to apply, so it already creates a barrier and already filters people. It shouldn’t be this way. Everybody should have the same opportunities. It should be more democratic and shouldn’t have any kind of barriers. What should change is this precarity and trying to find a way to create a basic income for artists.

LMG: What do you think is/are the role/-s of artist in our society?

AL: I think the role of an artist is to make people think about different subjects and to bring the attention of people to issues that are happening in society. Depending on the field of the arts it can be purely entertaining or going into a more deep and philosophical direction, making you think about more complex questions. Art in my perspective has this spectrum where it can be very light and make you feel happy and relaxed and entertain you but there is also this other side, that can shake structures and make people think and shock. You have no barriers and no limits to express yourself, so you can have very different results and very different intensities. But I think after all it’s to make you feel something and think.

‘Substratum of memories, participant #3’ by Ana Loureiro

LMG: What artist/-s (dead or alive) would you like to meet? And if you had one question, what would you ask them?

AL: There is one artist that I like a lot. Her name is Paula Rego. Since I was a kid I was interested in her works. She is Portugese but she lived since a very young age in London. She is an artist who also uses her personal experiences, her emotions and thoughts about things that happened in her life. She was mainly a painter and expresses through her paintings all of these self-experiences in life and in Portuguese society at the time that she lived. When she was alive Portugal was still a dictatorship and life for women was very tough at that time. Through her paintings she was expressing her experiences as a woman at the time and also about Portuguese popular culture. She approaches thematics that are very close to women, like abortion and the difficulties of being a women in a patriarchal society, especially at that time. I remember in a documentary I saw about her that she said “In my paintings I can do things I can’t do in real life. I can say whatever I want.” There is no limit in art. You can express yourself however you want. You can become every kind of persona. You can clear your emotions through it. I don’t have a particular question that I would like to ask her because I think she says already so much through her works. There is a very emotional, non-rational side of her, on that is very connected to herself, that I really like, because art doesn’t need to be something very rational and everything should make sense. There is this side of ‘I do what I feel and what I see and what I experience’ that really makes me connected with it and enjoy her works.

LMG: I also like art that’s very honest and from the heart. I think it’s necessary in away to do that.

AL: Yes! 

LMG: Is there something that you want to achieve in your art life? Dreams, future plans or projects you would like to do?

AL: One of the things that I learned in this decade is: ‘Don’t expect much and don’t make very longterm plans’ because you never know what’s coming. I did some projects alone and I also did some projects with people and in the future I would really like to do more projects together with other people and more cooperations. I really like to share the process and ideas and I like this idea of community and what we can learn with or from each other. I think the results are always very interesting. Sometimes it’s hard to work as a group because of different rhythms and different opinions but I think when you find the group or the person that matches your rhythm and really fits well with your ideas, it’s something which enriches you very much as an artist. I was lucky to do collaborations with very interesting people, which I really like. This is something that I would like to develop and have the opportunity to do more often in the future and also maybe do more residencies. I was lucky to be awarded next year with a residency in Finland, so it’s going to be my first big experience with residencies. I did a small one ten years ago in Porto when I was studying but this one will be my first one abroad and I’m very happy to do that because you go out of your working place, the place that you spend most of the time in and also explore other cultures, other ways of being and how this can influence your work. I hope that I’ll have the same feeling that I had when I came here, that I felt so motivated and inspired to do things and I hope that I’ll also have the same feeling. 

LMG: Do you think there is something you can bring to this world through your work as an artist which you couldn’t in any other field of work?

AL: I think what I can bring is this freedom to work in thematics and the issues that I want to with a rhythm that I feel is more fitting to that work, which you can’t do in many other jobs. In other jobs you are very programmed to do certain things, work on tasks for other people, until a certain time of the day and then go home. In art you can be creative, you can work on the thematics you want to and develop your own works and express yourself, which in some other jobs you can’t do. It’s this freedom to create. 

Copyright to all photos and artworks: Ana Loureiro

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/analoureirofernandes/

Website: www.analoureiro.com

Author’s Note: I’m trying something a bit different today

I first came in contact with Pipilotti’s works through my father who had a CD of her band ‘Les Reines Prochaines’. Now years later her work (especially her video works) still fascinates me. For that reason I picked out three video works by Pipilotti which I want to talk about more in detail, what I think about them and why in my opinion Pipilotti’s work is still very relevant today. 

1.)  Ever is over all 

The video work shows a woman (Pipilotti herself) which happily smiling walks down the sidewalk, with a big red flower in her hands. The speed of the video is slowed down, which causes an enjoyable calm and conveys the feeling of moving around in a dream. Accompanying the video is the humming of a woman and the chirping of birds. Suddenly, out of an inexplainable impulse, the woman smashes the window of a car parking beside the sidewalk with her flower. In that moment the humming changes into the sound of a distorted piano mixed with electronic beats. After that she continues her walk on the sidewalk and smashes more car windows of cars parking along the sidewalk. From behind her a policewoman comes into the frame and while passing her, smiles at her and (almost approving) nods to her and salutes. Also the other people passing by don’t seem impressed by the woman’s behaviour in any way. The woman proceeds on her way and carries on smashing car windows, of which every shattering window disrupts the beat with a loud crack. The whole video is kept in saturated colours.

What I feel when watching this video is empowerment. The empowerment to show rage and anger as a woman, since women societally are expected to always be nice, sweet, polite, caring and not show any anger or dissatisfaction. Which is what could be expressed by Pipilotti with her attitude in the video. Her acting being joyous while also smashing the windows and everyone of the pedestrians not caring that she does so (and the policewoman even greeting her happily), is pointing to the fact that female rage often is not taken seriously, since anything “female” is seen as weaker.

With every hit and breaking window it feels like breaking these barriers/restrictions/expectations society has put up for women. It feels freeing in a way. To really take up space which is us too often not granted and show all your feelings raw and honest. 

2.) Sip my Ocean

This video work offers the view of an idyllic underwater world. Different objects are slowly sinking one after the other, through the water down to the sea bed. The sequences of the sinking objects switch back and forth with sequences of a close-up of a woman floating, diving and swimming underwater. The pace of this work is again slowed down and gives you the feeling of floating in a dream. The colours are very intense and it is accompanied by the cover of the song ‘Wicked Game’ by Chris Isaak, sung by Pipilotti.

This work really touches me. The almost dreamlike video in combination with the cover of the song ‘Wicked Game’ has something very nostalgic and a bit melancholic to it. It’s like watching a recording of a memories you made, memories of a good time which you are looking back upon now. It has something very soft and fragile to it, like if you were dreaming and open your eyes now, the bubble would burst and the memories are gone. At the same time it is very powerful. The power that lies in the total vulnerability of opening up completely and letting people in and in the passages in ‘Wicked Game’ which she screamed, also tackling through that again the topic of female empowerment. 

3.) I’m not the girl who misses much 

This video shows a woman (again Pipilotti herself) in a black dress in an empty room, starting with her in front of one of the room’s white walls. She then starts dancing around in the room manically while singing repeatedly ‘I’m not the girl who misses much’ (an adapted line from the song ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’ by the Beatles). Her voice is manipulated, same as the speed of the video, causing the voice to change between being high-pitched (almost child-like) and deep and a bit darker and the video changing between being speed up and slowed down. The colour balance of the video is also modified, so some parts of the video seem more reddish others more bluish. After some time the video becomes distorted with freeze frames creating the image of a cadence of a heart monitor. This video gives of a somehow creepy feeling but at the same time really fascinates me. Although it’s just the same sentence over and over again, it draws you in, further and further, which has an almost hypnotic quality to it. In the unsettling and mysterious though lies its power. The deconstructing of a traditional gender role, what a woman is expected to be like (kind of like a witch which is also not fitting in the traditional role of a woman, powerful and nowadays often used as a figure for empowerment in feminist movements). 

Pipilotti’s work has a timeless quality to it. The effects used to alter the video still are very effective today. The topics and problems she addresses in her videos are still issues which we have to deal with today. Women’s rights issues are still as important today as ever, reaching their extremes in issues like the new abortion regulations in the US last year or the women led revolution in Iran at the moment. But it’s also important in day to day experiences like gender roles, catcalling, sexual harassment and abuse, etc. 
Pipilotti’s work makes you think, to scrutinize your beliefs, calls attention to important topics but with a lot of feeling, at times even humor and through bright and colourful worlds. 
It is honest, powerful but vulnerable at the same time. It touches you straight to the heart. And most importantly, it empowers. It empowers to stand up for yourself, to break out of the roles and expectations others (or society) imposed on you and to live your life how you want to. 

Links to the video works:

1) Ever is over all: https://youtu.be/-gd06ukX-rU

2) Sip my Ocean: https://youtu.be/eLPPJsQliD4 (there only is a view from an installation she did at the Museum of Contemporary art Chicago available in which she used the video work and not only of the video work itself, but I think this works well too to get an insight into the work).
Cover ‘Wicked Game’: https://youtu.be/7daW5KQZ8LE

3) I’m not the girl who misses much: https://youtu.be/hjvWXiUp1hI

Poet’s note:

A collection of poems and prose written by Rami Naamna for black history month written with different perspectives to identify inequities in everyday life.

I chose to write these poems from different perspectives as to describe how each perspective may be different but can result in similar difficulties. Some of these poems may be from perspectives that can be considered difficult to digest, however, the imperfection of these perspectives is why I believe it is so important to black history month and to black excellence in the future. I was incredibly inspired by the album “To Pimp a Butterfly” by Kendrick Lamar for some of these poems, other poems may be heavily influenced by events in black history.

Understanding how varied and flawed black history is and the concepts embedded in black societies today is important in understanding how to create potentially healthier and successful environments for black youth. But to do this, we must admire the imperfection. The title of this poetry collection is used, as the quote references racial inequalities and our connection to our roots, which I also believe are important to admire.

 written with different perspectives.

RELEASE 1: FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF

RELEASE 2: WHERE PERSPECTIVE MATTERS

RELEASE 3: METAPHORICAL PERSPECTIVE WITHIN

For the following I asked Margarita if she wants to do an interview with me: 

Luna Maluna Gri: Tell me a bit about yourself and your work. 

Margarita Keller: As a visual artist and editor, I have a diverse background that has led me to my current home base in Vienna and Graz. My journey began in Nikopol, Ukraine, where I was born in 1994. After completing my BA in Asian research, I had planned to move to China for work. However, life had other plans and in 2019 I found myself relocating to Austria. This move proved to be a turning point in my personal and professional journey. 

I am currently studying Applied Photography at die Angewandte¹, while also working as a freelance photographer and editor for the Forward Festival Magazine. This multifaceted approach to my career allows me to explore different facets of myself as a person and artist. 

LMG: How and why did you start creating art? 

MK: I discovered my passion for art and photography in 2017. At first, I was just experimenting with portrait photography, not really sure what I was doing or where it would take me. But in 2019, I got lucky and had my work accepted into a duo exhibition in Vienna called “Ping Pong,” and that’s when my journey really began. Back then, I had no idea what my artistic style or purpose was, I just wanted to create and feel unique and appreciated. Now, I’m more conscious of what I want to express and the quality of my work. I have a better understanding of what represents me as an artist. 

LMG: What role does creating art play for you? 

MK: I would say being a photographer/visual artist is an integral part of who I am. It’s not just a source of happiness, but also a journey of self-discovery, struggling with personal growth, and understanding my place in the world. My art is a reflection of my most intense experiences and the things I’ve learned. It’s a constant process of re-imagining my connection to the world and finding meanings. 

LMG: What does your creating process look like? 

MK: I tend to jot down my ideas in a chaotic and detailed manner, whether it’s on paper or in text messages. I tend to procrastinate or avoid research for as long as possible. When it comes to the actual shooting, I sometimes spend hours searching for visual references, while other times I rely solely on my imagination and sketch out my ideas. Recently, I’ve started to create small installations, using materials I find around me. This approach is more intuitive, emotional, and spontaneous. For commissioned work, I am selective and precise, often creating detailed mood boards to ensure that my clients, team, and models understand my vision for the shoot. 

LMG: What inspires you? 

MK: My inspiration can come from anywhere, it’s truly unpredictable. It depends on my current state of mind and what resonates with me at the moment. But if I’m being honest, the most powerful source of inspiration is my personal experiences and the memories that they evoke. I never know what exactly will spark my creativity, but I always trust my intuition and let it guide me. 

LMG: What is your experience with the art world? 

MK: I straddle the line between art photography and fashion mostly. I’ve built my artistic routine through participation in group exhibitions, festivals, and photo-books, while also collaborating with other artists and art platforms. On the other hand, I also work with production agencies, fashion brands, and private clients to create visuals. In addition to photography, I have experience in visual communications and enjoy exploring other forms of creative expression, such as writing, where I often work as a freelancer, writing articles and interviews on topics such as design, 3D, architecture and photography. 

LMG: Is there something you want to change about the art world? If yes, what and why? 

MK: Would be nice to have more transparency in communication between curators and artists, to talk freely about rates among artists and charge your work as much as you feel it’s worth. I also hate this feeling of art as something supreme, as if not accessible to people beyond the art bubble. 

LMG: What do you think is/are the role/-s of artists and art in our society? 

MK: To evoke experiences. 

LMG: What artist/artists would you like to meet (dead or alive) and if you had one question what would you ask them? 

MK: I would like to ask Thom York whether he’d like to go dancing with me. 

LMG: Is there something you want to achieve in your art life? Dreams? Future plans? Or projects you would like to do? 

MK: I had a long pause for one year trying different things apart from my photography practice. Now I’m on the road to emotional burnout. So from 2023 on I want to focus on research, concepts and things I’m really interested in so that to elaborate on the new photo or video projects. I dream to drive home to Ukraine to stay at our family dacha in summer and explore the surroundings. I don’t have global plans anymore because the war in Ukraine changed my perception of plans and the future in general. What I feel now is that I want to work with people I like, enjoy the process rather than the results, educate myself and travel more. Enjoy the adventure of life, to learn and observe more. That’s the plan. 

Copyright to all photos: Margarita Keller

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margaritkeller/

Website: http://margaritakeller.tilda.ws

1University of Applied Arts Vienna

For the following I asked Clémence if she wants to do an interview with me: 

Luna Maluna Gri: Tell me a bit about yourself and your work. 

Clémence Mira: My name is Clémence Mira, I am an independent illustrator and graphic designer currently based in Nantes (France). These last three years, I have developed a personal visual style which consists in using a black contour line made up of repeating, flexible bumps around everything I depict.

LMG: How and why did you start creating art?

CM: I used to draw a lot before, in a more basic way. Then when I started studying design, I gave all of my creative energy into my studies. It was very interesting and I did found a lot purpose in making my creativity useful for others, but for six years I completely stopped drawing on my own. After completing my master’s degree at the end of 2018, it felt like I suddenly had time and headspace to create only for pleasure. So I started doodling again and very intuitively, I slowly built my own visual language. Then Covid gave it a kick because when everything went slow, freelance work was light, and this gave me the chance to focus even more seriously on my art. When I showed it to my friends, comments were very encouraging so I just kept on exploring it. Up to now, it’s been a very nice and enlightening trip!

LMG: What role does creating art play for you?

CM: For me, it is really a way to reach out, meet new people and support projects and communities I feel close to. It surely helps me navigate this world in a more exciting and comforting way because it bring out a sense of purpose everyday.

LMG: What does your creating process look like?

CM: I usually start by putting some music on, writing down some words and making small sketches. Then I switch to my graphics tablet or I-pad where I can quickly test out my ideas and follow my intuition. When drawing complex body postures or scenes, I like to use photos as background models to distort bodies and objects with my bumpy line in an instinctive yet coherent way. Likewise on paper, I usually start sketching realistically before drawing with my own style. The more I practice, the more I develop my own aesthetic rules of how to generate these curves. I guess this process will evolve better as I gain more confidence riding these wild pulsating lines.

LMG: What inspires you? 

CM: In the content, I have been inspired by rave culture, music, people and personal life experiences. In the form, at the beginning, I would say that Keith Haring really inspired me, I loved his bold black lines and the subjects he talked about. Now, I would say that any shape in the cultural or natural world that reminds me of my style attracts my attention and may give ways to new creative explorations.

LMG: What is your experience with the art world? 

CM: If you are talking about art exhibitions, I’ve only done 5 so far! Exhibiting my creations is very new to me as I come from the design world, not the art world. In 2021, I started printing out my work and did some small collective and personal exhibitions. Then in 2022, Bogomir Doringer offered me a chance to do a one-month art residency at Q21 in Vienna with the goal of making an artwork for his exhibition «No Dancing Allowed». At first, I remember feeling that imposter syndrome, that I was not a real artist, just someone drawing dancing bubbly characters. In the end, it was the most interesting art experience I had until now. The exhibition was exactly about what I loved and artists exhibiting there were all amazing. Shout out to Bogomir and Q21!

LMG: Is there something you want to change about the art world? If yes, what and why? 

CM: I wonder if one day new artists won’t feel this imposter syndrome I just mentioned. Wouldn’t that mean the art world has changed a lot?

LMG: What do you think is/are the role/-s of artists and art in our society? 

CM: I believe art is there to trigger conversations between people and within ourselves. As for artists, like scientists who keep researching and analyzing the complexities of the physical world, artists should keep experimenting with their art, explore thoughts and emotions, so as to depict the world through as many perspectives as possible.

LMG: What artist/artists would you like to meet (dead or alive) and if you had one question what would you ask them? 

CM: I would want to meet up with Van Gogh, Yayoi Kusama and Alice Coltrane somewhere, maybe in Berlin, and ask them if they would be interested in making an art collaboration all together about «repetition».

LMG: Is there something you want to achieve in your art life? Dreams? Future plans? Or projects you would like to do? 

CM: I am eager to keep exploring this bumpy style through as many tools and ways as possible, from painting to 3D, sculpture and animation. My goals are also to dig deeper into the substance and allow my art to express itself freely and truly for as long as possible. I want to find more art residencies and exciting projects, meet more people, travel and work from different places.

LMG: Do you think there is something you can bring to this world through your work as an artist which you couldn’t in any other field of work?

CM: Maybe I can just bring another way of seeing things.

Copyright to all photos and artworks:  Clémence Mira

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clemencemira_/

Website: https://studio333.design/