Interview by Jimon

1-One word to describe Liane Merz? No one can really describe themselves in one word. It is to little.

2-Where do you currently live and create?  Frankfurt/Main, Germany

3-Did you have any formal education or training?  Yes, I have a degree in art. I studied art with Rolf Lobeck in Kassel (Germany) the city of Documenta.

4-Is every piece you create pre planned or spontaneous? Both. Basically, I think a lot before I start. But when I`m working it is more or less spontaneous.

5- What is the most challenging part of being an artist? Every painting is a big struggle.

6-What do you find most rewarding about being an artist? It is always a big surprise what happens. This is the result of an ongoing thought process. I go in the depths of my mind and it is a language without words that I speak. There are a lot of languages without words. For example, music is one of them.

7-How do you measure success as an artist? It feels like having discovered a part of world.

8-How do you stay motivated over long periods, especially when not actively exhibiting or selling work? Exhibiting or selling work is nice, but it is not that fundamental. I simply have the urge to work artistically. The problem is that I often I should do other things to earn money.

9-Do you create with an audience in mind, or is your work more personal? I rarely think about the audience. But over the time I have internalized how this works. How things work chances again and again. It is natural that things from the outside affect my inner self. I don’t really know the difference between inside and outside. We all are both of them.

10-Are there any moments in your career that you consider turning points? Turning points are always the times when I could devote myself entirely to my art.

11-How do you feel about the role of galleries and social media in showcasing art today? Social media is a great opportunity for introverted and shy people like me. Galleries are part of a professional business.

12-What role do you think art plays in society? Art can never have a direct measurable benefit for society. It is what can enrich us when our material needs are met. It shows us all facets of human existence – both positive and negative. And it shows us different points of views. It lifts us above the banality of everyday life.

13-If you weren’t an artist, what do you think you would be doing? What I always did to earn money: I designed magazines. But without doing my own artistic work my life would be poor.

14-Is your identity as an artist separate from your identity as a person? Yes of course. I don’t deal with current moods, but with general human phenomena.

15-How do you pick the colors in your paintings? At the moment I am mainly exploring red tones. I feel that what they can express is very diverse. They express what I think.

16-Did you have any training for art or is it inherent? I think that at a certain point in my life I simply chose art and it became part of me.

17-How would you like to be seen as an artist years from now? I don’t care at all. I just go my own way. I am a romantic idealist.

18-Do you have a place/person/thing that you visit for inspiration? The whole world is my inspiration.

19-If you could have dinner with 3 artists living/dead who would be at your table? Artemisa Gentileschi, Louise Bourgeois, Carol Rama.

20-Name three things you can’t live without in your studio? Pencil, paper, water

How would someone find you on social media?

Instagram: liane.merz