Interview
Adrienne Egger
Adrienne Egger is an American artist based in Austria, whose award-winning paintings have garnered international recognition. Egger exhibits regularly in solo and group shows, including Venice, London, and Vienna and her work can be found in corporate and private collections around the world.
Though working primarily with oils, Egger has recently begun incorporating patinas, rust, metal leaves, resins and lighting into her art.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I fell in love with art as a little girl, visiting museums, galleries and workshops. Art class was always my favorite, and I took commissions and sold posters to my classmates already in elementary school. In that regard, I have never not made art, but it would never have occurred to me to make art my career without the encouragement and support of my husband. He is a great motivator and helps me not only break down overwhelming dreams into do-able daily steps, but also helps me to develop speed, stay on time and keep track of the clock.
A career in any field is a business practice, and I have had to grow immensely as a person, in the practice of making art and as an entrepreneur to get to where I am today. I am very excited to see where this journey will continue to take me, as my studies in business and psychology as well as every job I have ever had, come together to form an intricate tapestry of who I am, what I stand for and what I can achieve.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“Human nature is the only constant beyond the rising and setting of the sun that I have found in this world, being the same today as ever. That said, we strive to grow as individuals, transcending through truth, freedom and ultimately, joy. I believe that the key to joy lies in truth - although it may initially hurt to see or hear it. We can spend our whole lives trying to avoid both the truth and the pain it may cause.
Current social and political issues are a collective reflection of human nature and the deeper issues of identity, love, fear and trust therein; my aim is to give these issues a beautiful, provocative and tangible form. I think that beauty is extremely powerful. It is the physical manifestation of love, goodness, hope, peace, joy and all that is right in the world. For me, it is the exact point in which heaven touches the Earth.
Although the definition of beauty is subjective and varies between cultures and subcultures, I have never heard anyone say they are bored of seeing yet another glorious sunset, who doesn’t light up in response to a laughing baby or is not touched by an elderly couple, tenderly dancing in the moonlight. These experiences and images move us - I may not want to hang them on my wall, but I need art to move me, to tap into this universal stream of consciousness and manifest as something that will make the world (be that the room in which it hangs and the people who live with it) a better place.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“We live in a highly visual culture where images are created and shared at a mind bending pace. Every now and then, an image - be that an observation of my surroundings, a movie scene, a photo, or a freeze-frame shot from a memory - will grab my attention and I collect it. If the image doesn’t leave my mind but calls me back to explore, push and develop, then I know there is something there worth expressing. When the time comes, I work with it, bending and melding it until I can see the form it can take and which materials are to be used to manifest the feeling that originally sparked my interest.
My work can be complex in the structural and material make-up, which requires well coordinated technical processes and planning to orchestrate. That said, an artwork can never be entirely pre-planned, and there comes a time when I let go of all my plans and ideas and let the creative process flow. So, I suppose I must answer with both, for both are important in creating an original, moving and well-executed piece.”
Which current art world trends are you following?
“My upcoming exhibition deals specifically with the issue of being or identifying as a woman and what that has meant both historically, currently and in the future.”
“Gender, identity and empowerment are extremely relevant topics, and I strive to address these issues in such a way as to inclusively empower the beholder regardless of gender and identity, harnessing new materials to help me to do so.”
What process, materials, techniques, etc., do you use to create your artwork?
“I am insatiably curious and love finding inspiration in new forms of expression, by way of brushwork or materials which I then integrate back into my figurative oil painting roots. My latest creations entail spray paint, gilding, patinas and rusts and I am in the process of exploring resins, lighting and sculptural elements.”
What does your art mean to you?
“I have learned that art means sharing: sharing emotion, sharing experience, sharing wonder, sharing expertise of workmanship, sharing courage and a daringness to break the rules, sharing freedom to express one’s self in new ways. But most of all, I have recently learned to share creativity itself. I absolutely adore seeing the spark of life that comes into someone’s eyes as they start to creatively express themselves.
I strongly believe in the power of serious fun for achieving amazing results, in any area of life and business, for neither burnout nor boredom exist in someone living out their creative potential. That is why I have created workshops for individuals dedicated to personal growth through the creative process, and collaborate with corporations to boost the creative atmosphere as well as to rediscover fun and all that it can achieve in the workplace.”
What is your favourite artwork and why?
“I am consistently inspired by contemporary art, but my favourites inevitably return to Monet, Rembrandt, Picasso, Dalí, Doig und De Kooning, each for different reasons. Currently, Michelangelo's ‘David’ and his comments about the creation process keep running through my mind - I believe because I am starting to think more 3-dimensionally in my own work conceptualisation. I love to hear great artists, most vividly at the moment De Kooning and O’Keefe, talk about their creative processes and to see photos of them in their studios.
Pertaining to my own artwork, the ‘Kill Your Fear’ series has been pivotal for me. Apart from the meaning, it marks the beginning of a new development in my creation process in which I fuse diverse materials and techniques with figurative imagery. Inspired by a movie scene from the 60’s, I had no idea what it was that resonated with me until I had already finished the first one. Only then did I realise its meaning and the name of the series, and it is an image I hold before me when I know I need to overcome my inhibitions and own psychological barriers.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“‘FEMMOBILITY’ - a recent exhibition held in Vienna, Austria. It highlighted the following themes:
What Do Dreams Know of Boundaries?
Dynamic woman: groundbreaking past, present and future.
Dreams want nothing to do with boundaries defining what can and cannot be one.No one knows this better than revolutionary women who have been breaking down gender stereotypes since hundreds of years. It is to these women that this collection is dedicated: groundbreaking female pioneers and role models.
These pieces tell tales of visions, equality, solidarity; of the past, present and future. Presented by the Wiener Linien (Vienna’s public transportation company) this exhibition is the first special exhibition to be held in the historic halls of the Remise Transportation Museum where the trolleys and stories of Vienna's public transportation system are on display for public viewing.
All artwork was made specifically for this location and theme, which was presented to me as "women & mobility". Having a unique perspective from being American and having lived in Austria for over 20 years, it was clear to me that the city, history, and cultural legacy of Vienna were to be a source of inspiration. The Wiener Linien, being the first transportation company in the world with 3 women directors at the helm and an arsenal of innovative green mobility solutions underway, also inspired three pieces to whom they are dedicated.”
