Louisa Clement's work has been displayed in numerous exhibitions around the world and she has been honoured with several awards, most recently the Bonn Art Prize. VIVID editor Rainer Kunst spoke to her about her training with Gursky, dealing with pressure and her own vulnerability, the power of art in the world and Düsseldorf as a centre for the arts.

What did you want to be when you were little?

Above all, an artist! Art and artists were, of course, an omnipresent topic in my family when I was growing up and that's why I never questioned it. I went through a phase when I wanted to do architecture, which was also very present in my family. Then I thought I'd be better off doing fashion design. But in the end, I stuck with art.

How did you get a place at the renowned art academy back then?

I actually wanted to study art in London, but didn't like the Bachelor's and Master's system there. It would have meant sitting in a class with 100 people. That's why I stayed in Germany. I first went to Karlsruhe and then, when Andreas Gursky started in Düsseldorf in 2010, I applied for his masterclass - and was accepted!

What fascinated you about Andreas Gursky?

First of all, what he did was something quite new. I was particularly fascinated by the entirely strict structure of how he took photos, this perfectionism. And also, his broad view of the world: Andreas Gursky tends to see the whole picture - and I found that quite exciting. We need art that doesn't just revolve around itself - and Andreas doesn't revolve around himself.zuweisen.

How did he influence you?

Definitely in my way of thinking, the fact that I deal with current events and then reflect this in my art. And also, with regards to the quality of the image. I have enormous respect for the way Gursky combines content with visual standards - and I've taken some of that with me, too. I was also influenced by his attitude: you do your work without compromise and stand for it.

heads 2014-2015, Injektprints gerahmt, Ausstellungsansicht, Ludwigforum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen, courtesy Louisa Clement + Kunst & Denker Contemporary

In your art, you deal, among other things, with how digitalisation affects the individual. In your eyes, how can art contribute, what can it do to help the individual or even a society to deal with this phenomenon?

On the one hand, art is there to build a bridge to things that are perhaps difficult to articulate, such as feelings. And art is there to provide food for thought and draw attention to something. How do we deal with each other? I think that is one of many important questions that we still need to answer with relation to the digital world - and where we also need to be careful. Just to illustrate, you can see how much bullying takes place online among the younger generation. We need to be more aware that, for example, AI is a manipulation generator and nothing else. We need to remain in control of our own thinking and not allow ourselves to be completely controlled. In my opinion, there is no need to be afraid of AI as long as we recognise and retain our empathy, truthfulness and honesty as our human strengths. Creativity and the ability to think outside the box are also qualities that we must retain - AI cannot and will never be able to do this!

You opened yourself up emotionally and also included a lot of private information - perhaps in the most extreme in your work the “Representatives”, featuring figures that were modelled on your likeness and fed with personal information. And you also reveal your vulnerability in your art. What effect does this have on you?

You just know that it's relevant and that you have to do it. And you can certainly anticipate some of the reactions. But yes, it is indeed difficult to deal with. Two years after the production of "Representatives", I have got used to it, but I also know that I hit a real low at some point. But I can't say that I wouldn't do it again. Art is not easy - it can be hard and exhausting. And then, of course, it intensifies with every piece of work and you have to make sure that you don't break down completely. It's always this going in, coming out and then stabilising. But I also become stronger with every job. Even as a globally recognised artist, Andy Warhol was always worried that the next exhibition would be an artistic and financial failure.

As an artist, how do you deal with the pressure in terms of content and money?

Eines der schönsten und bedeutendsten Gebäude Düsseldorfs: Die Kunstakademie im Stil der Neorenaissance.

I think it's a question of personality: how critical are you of yourself, how confident or insecure are you? I've just had another exhibition with two new works. I have to be honest and admit that I was scared shitless - although it was actually a relatively relaxed situation with just two works. Do you reach someone with your work or not? Just because I think it's relevant doesn't mean that the viewers think it's relevant. When I show works that have been exhibited several times before, I'm certainly a bit more relaxed. But I will probably never let go of self-criticism.

How do you free yourself from this pressure when working on a piece?

If you really work consistently in the studio, then the art market is on the outside. I concentrate on the work and develop the piece. And if that's right, then it will come together at some point. As soon as the work is revealed or you start communicating about it, then the market becomes an issue and then you have to think about it: how do you sell it? But that's not my job, thank God. I think the biggest mistake is when you pander to the market with your creations - and then the bubble bursts. In the long run, you have to do your thing consistently!

Representative, 2021, Mixed Media, courtesy Louisa Clement + Cassina Projects Milan

Has the customer base changed?

Yes, the pandemic has changed a lot - how people buy art and what kind of art they buy. People have also become more cautious. There's a crazy change going on right now. Over the last ten years your work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows - in galleries, collections and museums in Germany, but also internationally from Tokyo to Los Angeles.

What else do you want to achieve?

Of course, I want to exhibit even more and be able to develop further as an artist so I myself can make sense of the world. After all, the work is a language that you speak. Exhibitions are part of this language development. And the more you exhibit, especially internationally, the more you develop, because your work is perceived differently in different cultures - and that takes you further. Art can act as a lever in the world and its power should not be underestimated. And moreover, I want to use it to move people.

How would you describe success?

For me, success is when you can be satisfied with what you have achieved, but still have a vision for the future. What makes the city of Düsseldorf so special for you as an artist? For one thing there is this network of local artists. And the influence of art history, which can still be felt in many places here. The art academy and the many institutions and galleries make the city special. It's not Berlin, where everything is spread out, but it's somehow closer and more familiar than in a very large metropolis. Düsseldorf is a place where you can still feel that there is a sense of cohesion and that art contributes to the city. •

ABOUT LOUISA CLEMENT

• Born 1987 in Bonn, lives and works in Bonn

• 2007-2010 Studied painting and graphic art, class of Prof. Leni Hoffman, Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe

• 2010-2015 Studied Fine Art, class of Prof. Andreas Gursky, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

• 2014 Master student of Prof. Andreas Gursky PRIZES AND SCHOLARSHIPS (SELECTION)

• 2023 Bonn Art Prize

• 2019 Scholarship of the Villa Aurora, Los Angeles

• 2017 Trustee EHF 2010 Scholarship of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation

• 2016 Award of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia for Fine Arts Cité des International des Arts, Paris Artist in residence at the 6th Marrakech Biennial, Morocco

• 2013 Max Ernst Scholarship, Brühl SOLO EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION):

• 2024 Kunsthalle Rosstock (September) Cassina Projects, Milan (September) Getting lost, Kunstmuseum Bonn

• 2023 human error, Paula Modersohn Becker Museum, Bremen compression, Eigen + Art Gallery, Berlin

• 2022 In residence, Casino Luxembourg

• 2021 Human Error, Kunst & Denker Contemporary, Düsseldorf Double Bind, Kunsthalle Gießen Resonating Cavity, ZAZ10GT Gallery, New York

INTERVIEW RAINER KUNST ____ TEXT TOM CORRINTH

PICTURES MIMO KHAIR

Kunst trifft Louisa Clement

ABOUT LOUISA CLEMENT