Name: Lena

Age: 32

City: Berlin

Introduce yourself ?

I’m Lena Von Gödeke. At least, that’s the name I gave myself a few years ago. It’s not my real name but that doesn’t matter at all. It’s a family name. It’s from my family. And I just reactivated it, in a way. But now, it’s my name. It’s fine.

Why did you want to change your name?

At first, I didn’t want to have a connection between my private life and my artist life, which is stupid of course. Because there is no big difference, it’s just one big thing. But I first needed a name to gain some control.

Do you think by changing your name, your life changed a bit too?

Yeah, it did. Because by changing my name, I got a lot of feedback. And for other people, it seemed to be the starting point of me being an artist. This has been like that for many European artists. It’s like you flip a switch or something, and then everything changes.

And the time you changed your name was also the point when you decided to be an artist?

No. I decided again. I mean, I studied arts. So I made the first decision that I wanted to be an artist. And then I studied arts. And then I found out, oh wow, it’s totally different than what I thought. Do I want to be an artist?Ok, I do want to be an artist. And this was how everything started. And this was pretty much during the last semester of my studies.

What did you think of art before, and how did you find it differently later?

I had this ideal, I mean, it’s art. Come on, you just do artwork, you are an artist. That’s what you do. And I didn’t know that there is this huge bubble of things around that you have to care for. Which is naïve. I was totally stupid to think that you can just be an artist, and it’s about the thoughts and ideal and whatever. It should be like that, but it’s not. Because you have to earn money, and you have to have contacts. That’s nothing new I’m telling you… but it was new for me. So that’s what happened. So then I decided anew. And I found out that I’m pretty good at doing this.

At which part?

At both parts. Although the one part, the whole connecting, and market, and economy whatever was totally new. And I think I managed quite well, although nobody taught me.

Let’s talk about your work. What kind of work do you do?

I started as a painter. And I totally quit that. So now I’m concentrating on artworks that deal with ancient techniques. Handicraft, crafts and arts. And I try to take these techniques and transform them into something contemporary. But this is not the only thing I do. This is just the starting point. The starting point is the material and technique. And then I use them to deal with scientific topics that I cannot understand. Because I don’t have the brains, I never studied science. But I have an abstract feeling of what it’s about. And in this way, I can rebuild it for myself. Or transform it into something I can understand.

For example, the works I show here, they’re landscapes that I built in a 3D program. I built it on a computer, it’s something without any body, without any weight, and I made an object from it. So this way I can build something that you can touch and you can feel. Something very sensitive. And all this post-­‐internet, post-­‐digital… what should that be? I like so many things that people call post-­‐internet, post-­‐digital art. But I’m missing the aesthetic or essential part of it. You still have to feel, even if you feel by viewing, feel by looking at it for a long time. And you don’t do that if you are standing in front of a screen or something.

There was one part of what you said, “to make ancient crafts contemporary”, what does it mean for you to be contemporary?

And that’s a hard question, because what is contemporary? That’s an old question, and I don’t have an answer. For me, I think to be contemporary, you have to be just, not here and now, but in the future a bit. You have to be a step further. Because to see what contemporary really means, you should see it from a point of view that’s a bit more in the future. That sounds strange, doesn’t it?

Where do you get your inspiration? It sounds like you follow a lot of trends and what’s going on. Is that part of your practice? To be in future, to be contemporary, you have to keep up with a lot of information that’s happening out there?

Yeah, that’s true. Of course I should keep up with everything, but that’s not possible. There’s just too much information around. And in order to be not overwhelmed by everything, I just read what I’m interested in. Just see what I’m really interested in. And that’s a lot. It should be enough to work on. And I think one of the most important qualities of an artist, should be that artist as an antenna or something, so you sense what’s coming up next. Or you sense what’s really important, but you cannot name it, you cannot write about it. Because there is no word for it, yet. Or no language or whatever. Wow, that sounded arrogant.

No, that’s beautiful! Are theories the starting point for your work?

You cannot go, and just invent something from nothing. I think this idea of an artist just doing something from nowhere, that’s old-­‐fashioned and that’s not possible. Because you always get inspiration and ideas about things. Like we are living now in the 21 century, and it seems like, when we start thinking about something, we start from a point of information or knowledge that people gathered 200 years ago. We were not born them, but we already have it. And that’s great, I can read and I can gather more information. But I don’t have to repeat all the steps every artist did before.

Do you see yourself and your work as part of a trend here?

Actually, to be honest, I have no idea. Because I don’t know the trends. Or, there are things you see all the time, and you get bored, and then you don’t see them anymore. Or you just don’t care. So, I hope that I’m not part of a trend. Because that means I’m going to be boring pretty soon, and to be bored as well. So in order to make money and to be successful, it would be good to be part of something, that’s true. But that can’t be the aim. Not at all. And then I should start painting again or something.

Is that why you gave up painting?

No, I gave up painting because my professor always said women can’t paint. And of course, I painted a lot to prove him wrong. And I failed. So I just stopped, it’s just not my thing.

Do you have a group of artist friends here that you hang out with, and you talk about theories and each others’ works?

Yeah. But I moved here not long ago. Ten months ago or something. So, I’m still meeting new people all the time. I’m still trying to keep in contact with people. And I have this group of 4-­‐5 friends that we can talk about art, but all of them, they are so different in their opinions and their own artwork, that it’s really difficult to have a discussion with all of them.

Do you think moving here, your work has changed, or your way of thinking about art has changed?

My work changes, but it changes all the time. So I’m not sure if this is connected to the city or the place where I am or something. I don’t think so.

Can you tell me a bit more about this space where your work is showing?

I’m going to be part of the group that’s going to organize this space in January, so I can only give my impressions. What I know is that it’s a group of 14 artists. And they grouped up to have this space, and it’s very professional. You can see it in everything. Like how they design the invitation and how everything is organized. And you can see they are serious with that, you don’t have that very often. So it’s 14 people, and every one of them pays a small amount of money, so together they can pay the rent. And everything else, it’s just, that everyone does what they are best in. So I guess that’s the way you can do it.

There are people who can do the graphic design, there are people who can do the organizing, and they do many shows, each of them can do two shows per year. So it’s a new show every two weeks. And what they do is totally up to them. So that means you can show yourself, you can show friends’ work, you can do whatever you want. And none of the others will say anything. Nobody will judge, or complain, or whatever. At least, that’s the plan. And I think it’s the only way to do something like that, because otherwise, you are going to be a galley or something. So a project space means you are doing projects, and it’s always experimental.

So, an artist-­run project space, what’s the goal or purpose for artists to run these kinds of spaces?

It comes naturally because you want to show your stuff. And you want to support other artists. What else can you do? You cannot totally rely on galleries. That just sucks. They are doing a great job, but it’s a job, and it’s the market. Unless you find a gallerist who is really really great, and supports what you want to do. There aren’t so many of them. Unless you find one of them, you have to make your own space. What else can you do?You can be invited to kunstverein, or curated into a show. But then your whole practice consists of waiting and connecting. And waiting and connecting and working. Then you are so dependent on things. You are dependent on your network, and on other people’s goodwill and stuff. So, it’s always better to do it yourself.

So for one, it’s for artists to gather together, and have this community to support each other, and to create their own opportunities to make exhibitions to show. But do you think this kind of period for artists is only temporary?

I think it’s temporary. There have been project spaces that in the end turned into, or became galleries, really famous and great galleries. For example, Produzentengalerie in Hamburg. I think that’s the most important and one of the first ever. And artist-­‐run spaces that become galleries, of course, that’s great. But then you really have to put a lot of effort into it. And you have to do all the things you don’t want to do as an artist. And suddenly, you are a gallerist. I mean, you wanted to be an artist, so that is temporary, which is fine, but... For me, when I start in January, I think it’s a great chance to meet people, to talk, to try out, to experiment, and in a way that I’m not able to do it otherwise. I think it’s important for your development.

And I read on their website, they say this is kind of a self-­governed organization. It sounds very democratic. You have a group of people, and you make decisions together. In reality, is it really that easy to work with each other and get things done?

I don’t know how it is with this group because I met many of them just recently. So I don’t know how that works, or if it really works as well as I think. So I can only guess, but from my own experience, either you meet with people and you can work with each other immediately and you just know it, or you know within a week that you are not going to do it. So, it’s a big group of people that they are able to work with each other.

About this recommendation system that you talked about, how does it work?

So when somebody leaves the group, all the others can recommend somebody else for the group. So then they have 5-­10 candidates. And then, the new person is elected, on the basis of the work and… yeah, I was happy to be elected.

They just look at your work, or they also want you to have some sort of organizational skills that they can use for this space?

I think so. But none of them knew me. Only the girl who invited me to the show, she met me a week before. We met once and had a nice talk, and from then they said, oh, you can try at least. I think you see pretty quickly if you can work together or not.

This whole system of working is really new to me, it’s really interesting, but who invented it? Has it always been there or is it only a recent thing in Berlin?

I don’t really know. But for me, it’s so natural. I cannot say. Because, why not just work together?

It’s so ideal, but in reality, it’s just so… I don’t know.

It’s a good question, because I only know my reality. And I was so lucky to study in an art school where this is really normal. Where you group up with people, where you do collaborations, it’s just normal. But I’ve seen other art school where it’s the opposite, where you would never share something or help each other, or whatever. So for me, it comes naturally. And I think this is something contemporary as well. You have to share, you have to combine your skills because as an individual, you are not going to be able to cope with everything on your own. It’s just too much. It’s too much information, too many tasks. And, I’ve not been raised like that or something.

This is really exciting to me. This non-­profit part of art, and people still wanting to do things and exhibitions just because... for the pure side of art.

If you do a show, you do it partly for the pure side of art. But of course you want to show and you want to have customers.

So, do people sell their works in project spaces? Are they allowed to sell? Do they want to sell?

I think so. Everyone wants to sell, don’t they? But I think it doesn’t happen that much in project spaces. They are just not about buying. And the people who buy art, I don’t think they show up in project spaces actually.

They won’t come here to buy?

Nah, seriously, I don’t want them. Well, that’s not true. Of course, I would be glad if people come here and support us, but whenever the place where you are changes into something more about selling suddenly, the art changes. And people change. I don’t want to be mixed up in that. But come on, support us, you don’t have to buy work. You can donate something, or whatever. It shouldn’t be about buying the artwork.

Is there someone in this kind of space who is in charge of looking for sponsors all the time?

I don’t know. I hope so. (laugh) There is an award for project space in Berlin. It’s given once a year. It’s a lot of money. There are funds, sponsors, and stuff. I don’t know how they do it here. I would suggest getting some funding. But it’s important to not end up as an artist who only writes applications, ‘cause you can spend so much time on that.

So what’s you strategy of… you know, to be an artist here, you need to be able to financially support yourself, right? So if you don’t want to be the grant-writing artist…

But I am. (laugh) But it’s going to end soon because most of the grants are limited to people who are under 35 years old. And I’m 32. So it’s limited, and there is this age limit with most of them. Which I think is really wrong. Art has nothing to do with age, and people can start being an artist at 40. So, WTF.

So how do you think you are going to make it?

I’m in a bit of a crisis right now, because I really believed in that scholarship and award system. But it’s not real. Because you get one, you get everything, everything. The winner takes it all. This can’t be the right system for young artists. That sounds really pessimistic. I don’t want to say that every fund, every support is like that, that’s not true. But many big awards are like that. They only choose the ones who are successful anyway. But there are really really great people who support artists with their small scholarships and stuff. And it’s great to get them, so you can develop, and you can find out what you want to do.

It’s really important to do that after art school. I was lucky and I got some, so I could focus on my work. But at the same time, you need, or I need to have something stable. So now and then I just need a job to calm down, to see something else, to talk with normal people. I mean, you can always think about the ideal of pure art or whatever. But then, you have your real life as well, and if that consists of selling things to other people, and a job, then you do that. And I think that’s relaxing.

Aren’t you afraid that the other job is going to take too much of your energy? And then you won’t have time to develop your work anymore?

If it does, then that’s the wrong job.

What kind of right job do you have in mind?

I don’t know. I’ve had jobs that I really liked, so they were the right jobs. But I know there’s going to be times when I have 5 jobs at the same time, and they are going to eat me up. I know that, it’s just how it goes. But the ideal job… ah, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s about the ideal job, but the ideal moment to have a job, I think that’s more important. I’ve had many great jobs, I learned a lot. I can do everything, I can sell mattresses, I know everything about chocolate. So I learned something from time to time. That’s fine.

I think it’s important. I would recommend every artist to do normal jobs now and then, but that sounds really really bad because every artist does, you just have to. But I don’t want to hate it. Or, I don’t want to be afraid of it. It’s just part of my life, so I gain the freedom to do my other half. Something like that.

Do you have a goal for your artistic career? Which level do you want to reach? Or do you just want to be in the moment and do it and see what comes?

I cannot just wait for what’s coming because I’m not really a relaxed person. I used to have goals, but it’s always different. Whatever happened was not expected at all, and that’s fine. So, I don’t expect anything anymore. And I just know, however it turned out, it turned out well. It’s going to be like that in the future, I’m sure. I don’t know what’s happening. And the only thing I know is I want to make art for the rest of my life, in some way. Either I’m a big artist, ok? Or, I’m just an artist, which is maybe better. Or, I’m just a housewife, having enough time for artwork, which is ok. The only thing I don’t want to be is somebody who’s just doing something for money, or to be too sick, or too old, or too tired, or too burned out. As long as there is art in it, then it’s fine. I guess.

Interviewed in Neukölln, Berlin. 2015.8.23