Image courtesy of Carolin Koss

Interview: Carolin Koss
Luca Curci talks with Carolin Koss during FUTURE MEMORIES exibition in Venice on August 2015.

Image courtesy of Carolin Koss

Carolin Koss is a Helsinki based artist and filmmaker originally from Germany. Koss works with various mediums and often creates contemplative and aesthetic works, which explore the essence of humankind, dealing with sub-consciousness, instinctive behavior or environmental issues. Her works recurrently have a dreamlike nature and captivate through symbolic language and stylized imagery. She completed her MFA degree at the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki in 2014. Her films and video works have been shown on various national and international exhibitions and film festivals e.g. in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Macedonia and Columbia. Her recent exhibitions have been at the Landscape-Metropolis environmental art festival at G11 gallery in Berlin and at Future Memories exhibition at Palazzo Ca’ Zanardi in Venice.

Image courtesy of Carolin Koss

Luca Curci – Can you talk about your personal experience in Venice? What did you think about the whole organization of the event, the artists’ selection, the communication management and opening nights?

Carolin Koss: I just went from my Iceland trip straight to Venice, so for me it was quite an extreme change of climate and culture, yet it felt like I continued my mystical journey coming from an elvish volcano island with mostly untouched nature to an ancient labyrinthine town build on water. I really enjoyed not coming as a tourist, but on an art mission to Venice. It was great timed, the SELF Festival exhibitions ran parallel to the Biennial, which potentially brings in a more international art audience to see our works, but also gave us artists the chance to see lots of art around town at the same time. The selection and communication management went smoothly and the opening night was very nice and the weather was hot. A rainstorm and thunder made the end of the opening truly LIQUID.

Image courtesy of Carolin Koss

L. C. – What do you think about the collaboration between It’s LIQUID and Ca’ Zanardi/Venice Art House?

C. K. – As I understood Ca’Zanardi is quite a new venue, so It’s LIQUID seems to be quite active in developing new strategies and expanding in order to give artists the possibility to showcase in different venues and on a larger scale.

Image courtesy of Carolin Koss

L. C. – Can you talk about the artwork you presented in Venice? How is it linked with the festival’s theme?

C. K. – I presented my experimental film “Aurora Falls”, which is about a twelve year old girl named Aurora, who finds herself trapped in a dream. People from her subconscious visit her, who lead her on her path to overcome her fears. Yet she doesn’t know who to trust and who not, so she has to take her own initiative to find out why she keeps falling. The whole film reminds of a dream and was actually inspired by a dream I had as a 12-year old girl myself, which became the very first scene. So in a way a memory has become an inspiration to make that film and dreams in general, which sometimes even might reveal a path deeply rooted in your sub-consciousness brought to the presence and which might guide you in the future. We often dream of very ancient mystical creatures and situations or meet people from our past, so in a way a dream can be like a FUTURE MEMORY which carries the wisdom of a memory and brings meaning to a new context.

Image courtesy of Carolin Koss

L. C. – What are you currently working on?

C. K. – I usually work on many different projects at the same time. I just realized my video installation “Growth”, which consists of two videos – one which I filmed in Iceland with focus on the preserved and untouched nature and the other one I filmed in a small industrial town by the Ural mountains, which is one of the most polluted places in the world and where nature has been destroyed by humans. I am working on a documentary about this place as well. The images with their intense colours and structures look quite similar to each other, but they mean something totally different. Another project I work on is called “Emerald Green”, which will be a 3-channel video installation, portraying 3 people living in isolation in a dystopian future, where nature has been destroyed and fresh air has becomes scarce. These people try to escape through their sub-consciousness and build a new world beyond the concrete. You can find more updates on my current works, exhibitions and screenings on my website www.carolinkoss.com

Image courtesy of Carolin Koss

L. C. – What is art for you?

C.K. – Art obviously plays a big part in my life, since I chose to become an artist. It is something which, out of a deep rooted passion and urgency to create, became my profession. Art gives me the ability to relate to the world I live in, to express myself and to stay true to myself. It’s easy to loose track of yourself in our complex world with it’s endless distractions. Art gives me a foundation, a space inside which I can be me, move freely and where the possibilities are unrestricted and endless.

Image courtesy of Carolin Koss

L. C. – What do you think about International ArtExpo and It’s LIQUID organizations? Do you think they can represent an opportunity for artists?

C.K. International ArtExpo and It’s LIQUID are a good platforms for artists to show their work internationally together with artists who work along the same theme.