Interview with Solange Heilenkotter
Tell us a little about yourself and how you became an artist.
I developed a long professional career in the field of design. I did graphic design, advertising, photography art direction and commercials. But at one point I felt the need to change. I then locked myself away to work and research and prepared my first solo exhibition to show the result of 4 years of work. Today I feel that all those lessons from my time as a designer appear, clearly reflected in my work as a visual artist.
How did you arrive at the materials you use for your work?
I take a material out of its usual context and bring it into the visual field in a different expression. I look for materials everywhere, I am very curious. I like to know how everything is made and what it is made with! I have found materials in mechanics' workshops, in hairdressers, in bakeries, in surf clothing factories. I have used some and others are waiting.
What is the process from conception to manufacturing of each one?
Each work is a new invention in itself. I make it life-size, and if it doesn't work out I start from scratch, all over again. I love starting without knowing what the final result will be. The way I work is that I make photographic records of each stage and you can see in that process how the work changes, until I stop when the image I see gives me that hunch and you know that it's the final one, that you've reached it, and there are no more changes.
What is your inspiration and recurring theme?
Form is everything to me, using 3 dimensions, moving in space. I like the impact of a simple but powerful form.
Describe your work in three words / concepts
Minimalist, abstract, sensorial.
What inspires you at the moment?
Inspiration comes from my own work, in the most humble sense, meaning mistakes and failed attempts inspire me to start over. Insistence and perseverance, sometimes beyond all logic, make me discover new paths.
Do you have any contemporary or historical artists who influence your work?
Soulages, Z. Haddid, S. Calatrava, R. Serra, I. Van Herpen… it is clear that I feel a very strong common thread in everything I like in the field of art, design, craftsmanship, architecture and I feel that the barriers between these disciplines are increasingly erased.
