Image Courtesy of LIEBESKIND BERLIN.
LIEBESKIND BERLIN’s #PlayBerlin campaign is an ode to the creativity that hums throughout the German capital. From boisterous evenings spent at the Späti to the personal freedoms one can discover within the streets, life in Berlin is bursting with vibrancy and individuality. In a celebration of Berlin’s dynamism, LIEBESKIND BERLIN is inviting the city’s artists and talents to participate in a collaboration of experimental expression. Artist Anna Kuen is their latest collaborator, who brings mythological tales together with philosophical themes to create paintings of depth, reflection and emotion. We spoke to Anna about her approach to creativity, life as an artist and what makes a good bag.
SLEEK: What does it mean to you to work and live as an artist?
Anna Kuen: I have never really lived any different. I grew up surrounded by and with art and have always been involved in all sorts of creative ventures. So, it feels like the only possible way for me to work and live.
S: You play with mythological backgrounds and philosophical themes. Where does that come from?
AK: As with almost everything in life, I think this is rooted in the most fundamental questions of humankind, the questions that drive almost every action. Where do we come from and where are we going? And what is the meaning behind all this?
S: You like to work in a series. Why?
AK: It’s like telling a story: a topic for me is rarely finished after one or two paintings. It also has to do with workflow – some works are simply connected to each other and therefore become a series.
S: Does the idea of a series also play into your collaboration with Liebeskind Berlin?
AK: In the sense of telling a story, this collaboration could be seen as a series. But also perhaps as a crossroads between art and fashion.
Images Courtesy of LIEBESKIND BERLIN.
S: What journey do you embark on when you start a piece?
AK: This happens very intuitively. I usually find the topics of a new series while working in the studio. I also choose to not follow a certain plan in the beginning as I often find it to be very limiting to strictly follow a concept in painting. This rarely works out well.
S: What has Berlin given you?
AK: Moving to Berlin after I finished my studies was a completely intuitive decision. Berlin gave me a kind of freedom and feeling of independence. I really enjoy going to work in my studio here.
S: What artistic journey are you on right now?
AK: Does an artistic journey ever change? I think it is a continuum in its ever-evolving nature. So I am pretty much on the same journey, painting and finding new ways of expression in it.
S: What kind of bags do you love?
AK: I like simple, super classic designs. Shape and design need to be very much in balance. If the balance is there, a bag design can also be really loud in colour. And a bag, even if small, needs to fit some things in it otherwise I really don’t see the purpose of it!
CREDITS
Photography: Felix Krüger
As featured in SLEEK 74 – IDENTITY. Available in print and digital here.