Nevin Aladağ

What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment I have several series under development: on the one hand my musical ›Resonator‹ sculptures that only unfold their sound potential when activated by musicians, and on the other hand the series ›Pattern Kinship‹, in which individual animal footprints or pugmarks are multiplied and reflected. The pugmarks are thus abstracted and become part of a geometric pattern with a floral look to it.

Which part of your work do you like the most, which the least?
Developing an idea in the form of sketches and the like, the vague idea when everything seems possible and still seems like a utopia, that’s usually very exciting. Execution itself usually involves several difficulties. But it’s always fascinating when the result corresponds to the original idea I had, or at least comes close to it.

Who or what has influenced you in your work? And how?
I’ve been influenced by several things: artist colleagues, friends, family, the time I spent at Munich’s Kunstakademie, my social surroundings and so much more.

Which artwork do you return to again and again? And what fascinates you about it?
I don’t necessary return to any one particular artwork, but rather to an idea of narrating a work performatively as well.

What would you do if you weren’t an artist?
Maybe I would have continued running the Helga Bar and Galerie Goldankauf with my friends and former fellow students Beate Engl and Alexander Laner, as we did successfully for a few years.

What does your workplace look like?
My own personal workspace is relatively clearly structured, that’s where I can develop things and present work. My two additional studios are colorfully mixed with countless carpets, material samples, and artworks that are stored there for the interim.

Where do you like spending time most of all?
In my studio with a view of a small forest.

What space would you like to enter at some point?
A teahouse in Japan or China in a beautiful natural setting. I imagine that’s quite restful, even if a bit of kitsch creeps in.

What do you like doing most when you’re alone?
Relaxing.

What thing enriches your everyday life?
My reading glasses.

What are you reading at the moment?
›Beyond Black There Is No Colour: The Story of Forough Farrokhzad‹ by Maryam Diener—a very nice tribute to Iranian poet and director Forough Farrokhzad and a journey to her world. Very impressively and poetically narrated.

What was your last trip before the lockdown? Your first after the lockdown?
In mid-February, I travelled to London for my opening at HENI Project Space at the Hayward Gallery. I already had hand disinfectant spray in my luggage and did not trust the quiet. The first trip after lockdown was also professional: to Zurich to install a several-component artwork at the new housing estate Siedlung Helen Keller.