Interview with Katja Lührs
Katja Lührs was born in Rochlitz/Germany. Discovered at the age of eighteen by New York fashion photographer Mike Reinhardt and has worked for magazines at home and abroad (including Vogue, Elle, Bazaar, Marie Claire, Petra, Stern, Madame, Twen)
As an actress, she appeared in front of the camera for films (including The Woman Without a Body, Robin Hood) and TV series (including Schwarzwaldklinik, Marienhof, Dr. Stefan Frank).
She received her training as an author and journalist at Burda Verlag. She worked as a presenter for ZDF and ARD (public television in Germany. As well as for ORF in Austria with the program “Fun in the Snow”. An art and design training course with ArtTabea Caren. A training course in conversation and hypnosis therapy at the Institut Erhard Freitag Hypnosis Center Munich and a medically certified yoga teacher training at the Institut Scharnagl Munich.
Skydiving training by the Swiss Confederation.
Diving certificate from SSI – Scubaschools International Israel
Shows on television
¡ Cinema flashback (weekly broadcast on Sat 1-)
¡ Colorful talk show (weekly broadcast on Sat 1-)
¡ Skydiving (40-minute film broadcast worldwide)
¡ Fun in the snow (game show on Sat 1 and ORF)
¡ The beautiful weekend (weekly broadcast on Bavarian television ARD)
¡ Saturday club (weekly broadcast on Bavarian television ARD)
¡ Abendschau (daily broadcast on Bavarian television ARD)
¡ Bremer Fernsehen Abendschau ARD (daily broadcast)
¡ Bellezze Sulla Neve (weekly game show in winter on ORF as well as in Italy and Spain)
¡ Enzymforum (weekly broadcast on the RTL regional program)
¡ Marriages in court (moderation for 9 years on ZDF)
¡ Music workshop (broadcast quarterly on ZDF)
Design and moderation
¡ Art – fashion – and jewelry design – 3 years training at ArtTabea Caren
¡ Jewelry design for RTL Group and HSE24. The programs were called: “Katja Lührs Design” and “Katja Lührs Classic”
author
¡ Book: “Viva Veggie” (Hans – Nietsch – Verlag)
Nutrition guide with CD-Rom to optimize your personal menu, contains the favorite recipes of celebrities such as Kim Basinger, Paul McCartney, Martina Navratilova
¡ Book: “Smoothie – Fit” Healthy Eating (Hans – Nietsch – Verlag) painting
Exhibitions:
Gallery of the Creative Company Madrid and Munich - ARTHOUSE Munich - ARTBOX World 1.0 - The Hub Munich - ARTBOX Barcelona - Galerie Azur Brussels - ART MUC Munich - Discovery Artfair Frankfurt - ARTe Wiesbaden - Los Angeles ART LAB - Johnathan Schultz Gallery Miami - PAVOT Gallery Bucharest - Venice Biennale - ARTBOX Zurich - Cover in the art magazine "ARTPROFIL" in November 2020 as well as pages in the magazine - ARTBOX World 2021 with the image "farbenklang", awarded as a finalist and 3 times as a semifinalist - ITSLIQUID Group (ITS) winner of the Artist of the Year 2022/2023
ITSLIQUID Group (ITS) Artist oft he Year 2022 and 2023 - Winner 2023 Museum oft he Americas U.S.A. and Winner Circle Arts 2023 – Harmony for Humanity the Global Consciousness Art Prize 2023 – Winner Collectors Art Prize Planet Future 2023 – Artbox World Winner 2020 – 2021 – 2022 with the painting „Color Sound – Summerdreams – Save the Earth – Blue Night Fog – Rainbow and Moments and 2 Covers in the ART Magazine „ARTPROFIL“ November 2020 and August 2023
Statement:
The variety of colors and shapes of flowers, trees and leaves has fascinated me since I was a child. The power of the sun and its play with light and shadow in nature are characterized by: "grace - joy of life - confidence - peace and serenity". With pictures you can capture the beauties of nature. Because what you love, you also protect. That's why my motto for my pictures is: "Save the earth".
From modeling and acting to painting and digital art, you've explored various creative fields. How have these diverse experiences influenced your approach to art?
My years as a model have taught me to discover my own creativity. You get to know the most beautiful places, hotels and private villas around the world, because that's where most fashion photos are taken. When you trust your senses a little as a young person, you quickly develop a good feeling for colors, shapes and design. If I had the choice again today, I wouldn't choose this profession with my current attitude to life, even though I had wonderful years and was able to discover a lot. And why? Modeling is a very superficial profession. To name just three of many examples: In the cosmetics industry, terrible animal testing is still carried out today. The silkworm has to die for a silk scarf and is not allowed to turn into a butterfly. The many synthetic materials that are produced in countries where there is no protection for children or the environment. When I started to live more consciously, I immediately stopped working in this profession. I was very lucky that at the same time a well-known director, Dr. Dieter Pröttel, discovered me as an actress and presenter. My life experience has shown me: When you voluntarily close one door, another one opens!
You describe your art using words like 'wonderworld nature', highlighting the influence of natural beauty. Can you share a specific moment or experience in nature that profoundly impacted your artistic vision?
Even as a child, I was fascinated by nature and its diversity, by the sun and its play of light and shadow. I loved animals and had a dog called Blacky, he was my best friend. It took me about an hour to walk to school and Blacky was always by my side. He also picked me up on time. This long daily walk through the forest along a railroad line showed me how beautiful nature is in every season and how loyal and loving an animal can be.
Your commitment to environmental protection and animal rights activism is evident in your work. How do you balance the roles of an artist and an activist in your creations?
As a presenter, I have created and presented many programs that had to do with animal welfare and environmental protection. For ARD and its evening program, I presented a show about factory farming that made me cry for days. That's when I decided to become a vegetarian to get out of this terrible cycle of global animal murder. All beginnings were difficult, but today I shudder at the thought of ever having eaten animals. I love animals and nature and they both want to live just as much as we humans do! Once you become aware of this, you are reminded every day to live more consciously through nature. This approach to life puts you on a gentle, loving, healthy path and that is what led me to painting.
Could you walk us through your process of creating a piece of art? How do you decide on the medium, technique, and message for each work?I start by painting a small picture, usually with oil paints, and rework it again and again until it corresponds to my vision. Only then do I paint the "big picture"! I come up with the name for my paintings during the creation process. I usually paint 3 to 4 pictures at the same time, as oil paint needs a certain amount of time to dry. Then I take a photo of the painting(s) I have painted so that I have a perfect digital image. My basic theme, which I have chosen to protect our Mother Earth, is: "Save the Earth". Because we are only guests here on this beautiful planet and that is how we should behave. Considerately and with lots of love. Everyone asks themselves at some point what the meaning of life is. I have found an answer for myself: "To become a better person every day with love."
Your art is described as storytelling with a message to initiate behavior change. Can you share an example of how one of your artworks achieved this goal?
On the back of each picture is an apple, and inside the apple is a globe and the message: "Save the Earth!" The message is hidden, very different from what I was able to convey as a presenter with moving images and text. In my broadcasts on the various television channels, this message was only understood in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Now I am asked about my art all over the world: "Why do you paint nature motifs?" Then I can share my views on animal and nature conservation? I am very grateful for that.
As a certified speech and hypnosis therapist and yoga teacher, do these disciplines influence your artistic process or themes in any way?
In any case. I want to convey "love - peace - serenity and joy" with my paintings. For me, meditation means looking at an artist's painting and feeling happy in that moment and not thinking about anything else. If you can achieve that as an artist, it's great and fills you with great "gratitude".
How do you incorporate digital art into your work, and what unique opportunities does it offer for expressing your themes of nature and environmental conservation?
I am happy when I am asked about my motivation for painting and the message I want to convey. We are all aware that we need to change the way we think, but many people find it difficult to do so for very different reasons. But we all have a choice and many opportunities to take positive action in small and large ways. A carnivorous lion has no choice to eat a vegetarian diet. It was born to kill. But we have the free choice to rethink in every respect. Isn't that a great gift!
You've worked with various galleries and art houses. How do these collaborations shape or influence your artistic projects?
I used to always paint in small format and didn't know that I could also paint with oil paints on large canvases. A gallery owner who also exhibited my pictures asked me about large pictures and that I should try them out. At first, I didn't want to because I thought I couldn't! Then I remembered the saying from my childhood: “The better way to try is to learn.” Or: “He who dares wins.” And so I am still very grateful to the gallery owner today for having me encouraged in the right direction.
Are there any upcoming projects or exhibitions that you're particularly excited about? Can you give us a sneak peek into what themes or ideas you'll be exploring?
This year and next year I will be represented at many art fairs and galleries in Miami - New York - Los Angeles - Venice - Zurich and Basel. But also in Germany in Munich - Hamburg and Berlin.
Finally, what advice would you give to young artists who are passionate about integrating activism and environmental consciousness into their art?
Be inspired by nature. Stand up for children, nature, and animals. I have been working for many years with PETA (the world's largest animal welfare organization) and in Germany with the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union and the "Ein Herz für Kinder" foundation.
I would also like to encourage every young artist to think more freely. Your current job, which you no longer want to do, is not the end of the line. I was able to learn so many artistic professions in my life because I was always curious about whether I could do it. Listen to your subconscious and what other talents lie dormant within you. Just a “request” from me: Don’t do anything that harms your body, soul, and spirit or the animals and the environment. You should protect and love all of this because what you love, you also protect. If you ask me about the best step in my life, it is to go vegetarian. I used to have so many health problems and worries and with this step, everything negative that bothered me gradually disappeared. Today I am very “grateful and happy” about my development.
