Interview with Verena Bachl
Verena Bachl is a german artist, working and living in Berlin, Germany. She graduated from Art Academy Berlin-Weißensee receiving a BA / MA degree. Her work bridges the realms of contemporary art and natural sciences. By the specific illustration of physical forces and phenomenons, she creates autopoietic sculptures and installations, encapsulating and preserving natural processes of creation. Whilst searching for new ways of materializing knowledge and experimenting with aesthetic and phenomenological effects, her projects often stage the border between mysticism and rationalism by the use of technology. As a consequence, her works have explored post-romantic and Anthropocene concepts of ‘nature’ and ‘culture’ and the tension occurring by this dualism.
Can you pinpoint the moment you decided you wanted to become an artist?
I can remember a trip with friends of mine to a Media Art Festival a few years ago. I already studied in Berlin, but this festival was kind of an eye-opener.I felt very inspired by the exhibited artworks, but what fascinated me the most was the potential of exchange between art and other disciplines like natural sciences, scientific research, and the use of technology as an artistic medium. This could become a good playground, I thought by that time. And it turned out to be one.
Where is your studio and where are you from?
Born in Wörth a.d. Donau, Bavaria, Germany. In 2018 after the end of my studies, I founded my studio in Berlin.
Tell us a little about your artistic background. What were your first influences to be creative and become a serious artist?
I first graduated as a metalworking designer at an art academy nearby Frankfurt. This still influences the way I choose and work with materials for my artworks, at least as regards the work with metal. Further, I studied Design at the renowned Art Academy Berlin-Weißensee. When I finally came to Berlin, I fell in love with this diverse city, being surrounded by pulsating, vibrant life and art. This instantly and finally felt like coming home.
Can you tell us what you have going on right now?
Currently, I'm working on different sculptures and installations in my studio. "All Colors Depend On Light" is a sculpture series that uses the spectral analysis of light as a fundamental exploratory tool to reveal light's true nature and to expose its very essence by dispersing it in its colourful code. These sculptures are rich in information as they retain the light in the glass zone like a visual, immaterial painting and therefore prove light's optical existence. Another work of mine currently in the making is about the healing aspect of light like it's used for instance in light therapy. This work is very autobiographical, as I suffer from genetically-based depression, especially during wintertime - the "dark season" of the year. So what influences me currently the most is not only light but also the absence of it, in a physical as well as a metaphorical way.
Can you describe what an average working day for you is like? Do you work on many creatures at once or one at a time?
I have a certain workflow in the studio so I can work on different artworks in different stages of creation. Some are in an experimental state of research while testing different materials or visual setups, others are in a conceptual or documentary phase with a strong focus on their storytelling, and others again are already in the stage of prototyping and assembly. This workflow is really helpful because it allows me to let an artwork evolve, which is an important parameter of achieving quality. And if things are becoming diffuse, it's a good thing if you can let them rest for clarity.
What makes your art different from others?
Artistic mastery for me means addressing and triggering the heart as well as the mind. Of course, the heart is very selective and therefore art, in general, is very subjective. But within every piece of art, there is a hidden fragment of thought and soul, a story that wants to be told. So when I compose an artwork, I do not only focus on the aesthetic aspect of choosing and arranging material and therefore achieving a certain visual and spatial appearance. I also embrace storytelling by using various media as a language, such as text, photography, and video beneath the physical artwork for artistic expression as I think this finally makes an artwork unique and coherent.
Abstract and diffuse concepts of art do not work for me. It is often said, that artwork itself must have the ability to function and fascinate, completely independent from containments into words. But while looking at art, for instance in galleries or museums, I often miss the communication of these complex layers of an artwork caused by a - sometimes purposely - lack of communication. Of course, this mystification of art can rise curiosity and lead to fruitful conversations, but there is also a risk of frustration or even rejection if this curiosity can not be satisfied.
In your opinion, what role does the artist have in society? What do you hope that others will gain from viewing your art?
The tragedy of our time is, that we have commonly decided to negotiate the emotional dimension of our existence. According to the public discourse, this longing for nature is regarded as pure sentimentality and childish romanticism if it doesn't serve a particular purpose. But this desire is real. Within nature, we want to experience ourselves as part of a greater whole. The longing for being surrounded by living nature manifests in my artworks. As we entered the Age of the Anthropocene and its manifold prophecies of the end of nature, I try to overcome our invention of the dualism of nature and culture by connecting them. I think, that the Anthropocene needs a new definition and perception of what "beauty" actually means. Beauty is what infects you with liveliness. Nature, culture, every artistic act is an act of liveliness, that I try to share with others by reaching out to them when publishing or exhibiting a work of mine.
What’s the most important element in your artwork?
The ability for change. As my artworks renew themselves over and over again not only concerning their spatial arrangements but also their visual appearance, they gain a "life of its own" and therefore remain capable of surprising me. They are not static, they are in flux. I really adore this moment of autopoiesis when a complex or even chaotic system is capable of maintaining itself, coupled with its medium in continuous dynamic. So my primary focus is not automatism or mere observation but initialization of phenomena and therefore artworks for "producing" them.
That being said, are there any lessons that you’ve learned that you could pass on to the younger generation of artists as they begin their journeys?
Never negotiate your instinct and intuition as it's essential for your artistic development! Unfortunately, this is something that is often trained down during (art) studies, as the emotional aspect of yourself and therefore your art is hard to communicate, sometimes even being considered as obstructive or irrelevant for making progress. I had to re-learn listening to my gut feeling again the hard way, especially after I finished my studies. But in contrast to my mind, this feeling never betrays me when making important decisions for my career.
What’s on the horizon for you?
Beneath many interesting collaborations and exhibitions that will take place during the next year, I'm represented now by Alfa Gallery | Miami, being able to sell my art through ARTSY, which is a really exciting chance.
Website https://verenabachl.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/verena.bachl/
