Out & About: Do you call yourself an artist?

Yes, but only for about 2-3 years. The reason for this is that it is only since then that I have considered my work to be art. Before that, as a learned graphic designer, I concentrated more on the graphics and devoted much less time to painting than I do today.

“My biggest sources of inspiration are films, comics, and games.”

What inspires you?

My biggest sources of inspiration are films, comics, and games. All these media tell a story with the help of moving or static images. I am not only fascinated by the plots and their characters, but also by the technical, structural characteristics such as composition, structure/dramaturgy of a scene, colour grading, music/sound effects in moving images, set and costume design, and so on.

Furthermore, besides artists who work in the same field, I am also inspired by works from completely different art forms. That’s the beauty of inspiration; it can be found in many places and always provides welcome surprises.

How did you start?

That depends a little on what point in time you define as the beginning. Like many others, I already drew a lot in my childhood and never stopped. Among other things, that certainly created a certain foundation for my artistic development, but I wouldn’t call it a beginning. I think it started when I turned from the medium of drawing/illustration to painting and painted my pictures on wooden panels and canvases.

With no concept or plan of where this was going. The focus was to improve my technical skills and create as many works as possible. Everything else then developed gradually over the last few years during this process.

If you had the chance to study art, would you do it?

Not right now, because I have found my own path and will continue to pursue it. But if I were to travel back a few years, to the time when I had to decide on a course of study, I would consider it from today’s perspective. Whereby the school and the place of art study would be very decisive.

Do you think a professional training or education would have led you faster to the current state?

Good and difficult question. I am very happy with where I am now and have no regrets whatsoever about the work and time I put into it over the years. Because my studies in visual communication also contribute a lot to my current works.On the other hand, I am convinced that studying art would have shown me unknown areas and perhaps opened other doors. This applies to my work as well as to my understanding, perception and approach to art.

Do you have an underlying message in your work?

My earlier works always had the aim of conveying a socially critical message. Subordinate to this, I chose the content and the pictorial motifs. However, I quickly abandoned this because it restricted my creative freedom. My current art project «Myths of the Afterworld» tells the story of a fictive, dystopian world. The works can have different statements, but they are all connected in terms of content and tell part of the same story.

Do you earn money from your art?

Yes, but very irregularly.

Do you have any additional sources of income?

Yes, I work as a graphic designer alongside my artistic activities and thus enable myself to earn a regular income.

“Of course, the critical reflexion of one’s own work is part of it, but it should not be an obstacle to the creative process.”

Have you ever exhibited your work?

I had in the last few years repeatedly the opportunity to exhibit my works. The first group exhibition was the “Jugendart Olten” (now JKON) in 2011.

This was followed by other group exhibitions, mainly in Solothurn and Basel. A highlight of my artistic career so far was a group exhibition of the gallery Benjamin Eck in Munich, in which I could participate in 2020. My first solo exhibition took place last fall, September 2021, in a gallery in the canton of Zug.

Do you have any advice for aspiring young artists?

Produce, produce! Don’t constantly question your work, just do it. Of course, the critical reflexion of one’s own work is part of it, but it should not be an obstacle to the creative process. One should remain true to oneself and not let oneself be unsettled too much by external influences, so that one’s own interests and passions are given enough space in the work. These are tips that I always have to remind myself of.

Dear Cosimo, thank you very much for your inspiring answers! We wish you all the best on your further way as an artist.

Interview von Ina Bandixen

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In the interview series “Artists without a degree in art” we have conducted interviews with artists who have no formal training in the liberal arts and who combine different backgrounds. It is important to us to show that the often still elitist thinking in conservative art institutions represents a barricade for many people, for example when discriminatory structures, racist and sexist attitudes, or even financial barriers make it difficult for them to enter art studies. On the other hand, it is also about understanding that life courses do not always follow a linear and clear line, and that detours and backgrounds outside the field can represent great added value. In the series, seven artists answer the same ten questions about their own CVs and how they ended up where they are now. They tell of very individual and stubborn paths to art, which show how diverse the path to professional creation can be.