Interview: Karin Monschauer
Luca Curci talks with Karin Monschauer during ANIMA MUNDI FESTIVAL 2019 – CONSCIOUSNESS and VISIONS at Palazzo Ca’ Zanardi.

The embroidery technique has always fascinated the artist Karin Monschauer, permitting her to externalize the connection and the interweaving of colors and shapes. Historically, this methodology, ‘raqm’ in Arabic, allows to create an ornamental design on fabric through the use of one or more threads of different colors. The digital artist Karin draws on her initially manual skills and uses software designed for art design to create abstract works rich in geometric evolutions, connected to each other with a wide tonal range, divided between hot and cold areas. In this juxtaposition, Karin proposes visual languages characterized by ideas obtained through pure imagination, as well as explicit reference to nature and textures created by the skills of old and modern masters. The latter refer to those Middle Eastern carpets that the Luxembourg-born artist creates at her computer, with the ambivalence between past and present always within her productions. In 2015, thanks to computer graphics, Karin begins the geometric and chromatic cycle of her current artistic production. In fact, her computer graphics methodology challenges the traditional artistic action made by brushes and acrylic colors, because different hardwares and softwares elaborate her creativity into works with high perceptiveness. The figure-backgrounds that Karin obtains provide infinite interpretations that live simultaneously. The digital realizations are printed afterwards in high definition on canvas, obtaining works of different sizes. As a demonstration of this approach, Karin’s realizations are characterized by various codes that are combined in fantastic, artificial universes inside an abstract geometry. The combinations derived are always punctual within a creative process, providing the observer with a never static sensation. Thanks to the Gestalt psychology, a perception of induced movement and good continuity is determined. Karin digitally paints undefined scents that every human being interprets and follows. Currently, her art is permanently represented with one work at the European Art Museum, Frederiksvaerk, Denmark, and four works at Le Bois Du Cazier Museum, Charleroi, Belgium.

Luca Curci – Which subject are you working on?
Karin Monschauer – The geometric and abstract world represents my current and main artistic topic. Combining shapes and colors I always get new creations in always different combinations.

LC – What are you currently working on?
KM – I’m working every day on three different techniques: half cross-stitch embroidery, digital art and Brush Pen on canvas.

LC – Where do you find your inspiration?
KM – In the study of past civilizations together with their architectures, the tradition of the ancient carpet, the history of the pre-Columbian Native Americans such as the Mayas, the Aztecs and the Incas, the Indo-European cultures such as the Byzantine empire up to the African peoples. And also in the old masters. Maurits Cornelis Escher and Friedensreich Hundertwasser have always been my favorites. In addition, Sol LeWitt, Frank Stella, Piet Mondrian and Sonia Delauny have recently joined me.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
KM – I like to play with numbers, and my works always have a logical sequence of geometrical forms and colors, from which beautiful patterns emerge.

LC – What is your creative process like?
KM – I have an idea and make a sketch. Then I choose the colors that I would like to have in this work and start to put one color next to the other. The image then evolves slowly, I always try out new things, the result is a picture usually different than what I imagined at the beginning.

LC – What is the message linked to the artwork you have shown in this exhibition? How is it connected to the theme of the entire festival?
KM – My Art simply wants to be a cultivated and enjoyable fun, aiming only at the soul of the people who are in front of my works.
My artistic research aims to communicate positive feelings such as serenity, happiness and tranquility.

LC – In which way the artwork presented in our exhibition is connected with the festival’s theme?
KM – Art has existed since man exists and has always played an important role in human life.
Anima Mundi: it contains the thousand facets of men and my art synthesizes its essence through geometric and colorful compositions. It gives the viewer a sense of order and regularity in a somewhat chaotic and uncertain world.

LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us?
KM – Undoubtedly, your vision is good. I love the positivity in the events in which I participate. Visitors can be many or few, but this also depends on each individual cultural sensitivity. The festival can combine different artistic situations and not only, so as a comparison I consider it an interesting situation.

LC – What are your suggestions about our services? Is there something more we can provide to artists?
KM – I believe your services are already complete. I cannot find anything to suggest.

LC – What is your idea about ITSLIQUID GROUP?
KM – Itsliquid Group is a great communication platform and what I like best is that it combines contemporary art, architecture and design that I find to be all linked to one another.