Interview with Albina Rolsing
Albina Rolsing, based in Germany, is an artist open to exploring and creating different interdisciplinary artistic approaches. Her Art is versatile. Whether abstract, figurative, colourful or monochrome, expressive or minimalistic, she moves between different styles, techniques and materials and remains constantly faithful to her principal artistic themes. Her world of art is vibrant, silent and deep.
Looking at her art, enables and encourages one to discover and appraise human beauty, as well as beauty as the space between human boldness, strengths and human fears.
Could you please introduce yourself and tell us how you started doing art? And your first experience with art?
It was in 2012 during a talk with a friend of mine about what I would want to be in my next life. I wanted to be a painter and sculptor and if not that, then an architect. He asked me why I didn’t start painting right now? I answered, that it takes ages of studying and experience to become a good artist, and I had not painted or drawn since I was five. „You have a major reason to start painting now. You will probably not become a great artist in this life, but you’ll definitely lift yourself to a higher level on your way to becoming a great artist in your next life,“ he said. It made me laugh and I liked that thought. Months later I started studying fine arts and to be honest, it was horrible. I was the worst student ever and my single positive experience in the first year of my studies was doing exercises where I had to draw simple objects, like a three-year-old child would do, and my work was the best.
How would you describe yourself and your art?
I’m curious, sometimes bold, often silent, sensitive and a good observer. It’s pretty difficult for me to describe my art. I think it is a bit like me and a bit like others. It is not the truth but also not a lie.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Literature, philosophy, art, photography, life itself… and the human body. The human body as a visual dictionary, a visual language which I often use to create my artworks in. I’m fascinated by the torso, it is the space where power, balance, motion, memories and desires take place, where they manifest themselves and live.
What emotions do you hope the viewers experience when looking at your art?
Confusion, a sense of unordinary beauty, captivation.
When do you know that the artwork is finished?
When I look at my work and feel that it has become an independent piece which has grown into a character and shown me something that I didn’t know before. At that moment I experience a feeling of respect and a kind of vibration and quietness inside. I feel that it is complete for itself and the only thing I can do is to stop working on it and start loving it.
What has been the most exciting moment in your art career so far?
These would be the moments when I see someone is about to fall in love with one of my pieces.
How long does it take to produce one artwork?
Before I start creating something new, I spend a lot of time reading books and magazines, watching documentaries, walking, being quiet and reflecting on the themes I’m moved by. When I start to work, it could take from an hour to five or seven days and sleepless nights to produce one, and usually a small series of works. The only time I take a break during my work is to go for a walk to a gallery or a museum or to cook. The connection between me and my work in progress is very strong. I feel that I cannot bear being away from my unfinished piece for a long period of time or distance.
What exciting projects are you working on right now? Can you share some of the future plans you have for your art?
I’m about to explore the power of blue and its interaction with red by creating a series of works with the title ”In The Mood For Blue“. I will strive to tap the full potential of the interaction between different colours or between colours and lines to express themes that move me: strength and vulnerability, eros and death, motion. I will definitely continue working on my main themes and eventually want to start a photographic project, which I would not like to talk about now.
Do you have any upcoming events or exhibitions we should know about?
I’m going to have a duo exhibition with Mariko Tsunoka in the Benjamin Eck Gallery in Munich on May 2 - June 8 as well as a solo exhibition in Rome at the end of May. Some of my works on paper can be seen in the Museo Gustavo de Maeztu in Spain, at the WopArt Fair in Lugano in September and at the Paper Positions Art Fair in Munich in October 2019.
Where do you see your art going in five years?
I dream about having a huge studio where I can work on my creative ideas without any limits in space and with good daylight. I would also like to explore my capability at transforming known things into something new. I want to reach a higher level of simplicity in my artworks, simplicity as presence and a result of my search and my experience in the world of art. And I hope, there will be many people who are touched by my artworks and start loving and enjoying them.
Website: https://www.albinarolsing.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/al.rolsing/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AR-Albina-Rolsing-Artist-Fine-Art
