Interview
Christopher Tim König
Christopher was born and raised in Karlsruhe, Germany. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Education in Ludwigsburg. He studied culture and media education, specialising in art and music.
Christopher’s work can be divided into abstract and representational painting and drawings. He works mainly with ink on paper, acrylic paint on canvas, or acrylic spray.
Christopher has taken part in international exhibitions, and sold his paintings to private collectors. His art is characterized by strong color volumes, performing arts and drawings with ink. His ideas result from consistently listening to music, as well as from his everyday experiences.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“My interest has always been in art, drawing, and my penchant for music. My journey into the art world began in 2019 with my first exhibition in Florence, where I showed floral and still life paintings. This was followed by a solo exhibition at the Kunstverein Ettlingen, near Karlsruhe, where I was able to present my works for the first time. My paintings had accumulated from adolescence to adulthood, and through to the university period.”
“My work includes depictive, graphic and abstract motifs. The ideas partly take a stand from everyday life and my love for music and art. For me, both go hand in hand and are conditioned in a reciprocal atmosphere in my creative process.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“This is both a complex and difficult question. I think I try to keep my creative work as far away from political values and norms as possible. The color volume, as well as the play with the color in the context of musicality and the impartiality caused by it, is very important to me. I want the viewer to have fun with my art.
There are different themes, including my own biography, which I’ve subjectively addressed within my art at different times. I’ve explored the dynamics of addiction and other psychological topics that are often correlated to one's own subject. Personally, I reject any kind of violence and attach great importance to qualitative, factual conversations. I also read a lot of literature and have been interested in philosophical topics since I was young. All these different aspects flow into my work. So I think that there are certainly social and political aspects. However, I would like to consider my art as something detached from it all, since we are constantly confronted with these topics in everyday life.”
Which current art world trends are you following?
“I do a lot of research and deal with current topics such as fashion, nutrition, and even digitization. I also look at which exhibitions take place at museums or state art halls. Since I’ve studied culture and media education, with a partial viewpoint on aspect of media studies, I’m interested in dealing with the media, and have a constructive discussion with my art.
Topics such as the staging of art or media naturally have an impact. I mostly follow events from the world of music — bands such as Nirvana, System of a Down, Korn, and Iggy Pop. This is where I get most of my ideas from. Art is the reflection of what is heard musically, so to speak, and in a continuous confrontation in everyday life.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“It’s difficult to say. I think it's a combination of both. The creative painting process is a kind of musical improvisation. But mentally, I deal with the matter, the media and the choice of colors, as well as the music, or the feelings which I would like to transfer to the canvas. Music is the mainspring of my work.”
What process, materials, techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“I use ink, acrylic paint, and acrylic spray. I make sure that I keep these materials in a continuous relationship. This means that I often work cyclically, which leads me to getting involved in graphic, painterly series.
I work with different amounts of pressure in combination with my colors, and with different rhythms and different speeds. The momentum is different every time. It mirrors my emotional world. Sometimes I feel calm. Other times the work is fast, wild and dynamic. In my abstract works, I try to play with different layers of paint and color volumes. My drawings are mostly drawn with ink on paper. I have recently started to try my hand at spray on cardboard/canvas.”
What does your art mean to you?
"My art means very much to me. The world of music, and the different genres of artists have very often inspired, motivated and given me support. The more sensitive topics that shaped me even in my youth. Topics such as finding identity and other complex psychological questions. Basically, society is a variable, sensitive construct and offers so many beautiful, inspiring moments.
Therefore, it means a lot to me to be able express in color everything that has shaped or socialized me. Music has been my companion throughout my life. I listen to music very often and I try to express how it feels in my own, individual way. Art is a reflection of what has been seen and experienced. It helps you classify certain phases of life, and helps you process certain topics.”
What's your favorite artwork and why?
“There are so many good artists who have created beautiful works: Gerhard Richter, Vincent van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, and many more. However, if I had to decide on one art piece, I would choose Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’. This piece always remains modern in a playful way. It can be wonderfully reinterpreted from zeitgeist to zeitgeist to the most diverse social social topics. I love its versatility of interpretation. You can apply it to so many different areas of life, humorous, tragic, or bizarre comedy.”
Please tell us about any previous exhibitions you found noteworthy and wish to share.
“The collaboration with Hong Lee, a curator from Paris, was very pleasant. These included exhibitions by Art Fair in Porto and Paris in various galleries. I also enjoyed working with Divulgarti, which included exhibitions in Genoa.
In general, I think it's nice when the cooperation is characterized by mutual inspiration. Art also lives from the discourse and its underlying dynamics. And all the urban impressions and pictorial moments of Paris were very impressive.”
