Interview
Margith Kostending
Margith Kostending has worked with the painting for several years. She paints interesting motifs with edges that give the viewer something to think about. Her imagery is very colorful and the motifs eye-catching. Her favorite subjects are people. She has an immediate approach to painting and you can feel an experimental entry into the processes, which arise through colors and structures and not least thoughts. Her works are experienced as insisting on their presence and have a good balance between stillness and movement. Margith has a wide range of color choices and a sense of dynamic color composition, which creates life in the painting and sharpens one's attention. The viewer gets the opportunity that their own thoughts and imagination can bring more life and narrative to the subject.
Some of her pictures may seem a little grotesque, as if she wants to explore some boundaries or just come up with a reminder of something important. She likes to put things a bit on edge and expresses her thoughts and feelings in her motifs and inserts different nuances into new contexts and surroundings, where it can achieve a completely different meaning. Her portraits are experienced as insisting on their presence and there is a good balance between stillness and movement in them. They are expressed in experiences from the external environment, but to a large extent also from Margith's own thoughts and feelings, which she recalls and uses to create the atmosphere and the expression. The interpretation of the individual portrait itself is subjective and as viewers we unconsciously put a lot of ourselves into the interpretation and therefore experience that certain portraits speak to us more than others. Margith Kostending's portrait universe is truly a different and interesting experience with a wide range of color choices. There is a really good dynamic color composition and well-placed color fields, which bring life to the portrait and sharpen one's attention. When Margith works with the painting and the expression, she finds herself in an energy field and a kind of meditative approach to the work. Her focal point is the incorporation of strong colors and contrasts. She is immersed in the process and keeps the focus on essential elements in the subject and knows how to emphasize them. She balances between the controlled and a more free expression that work together differently in the motif. The motifs are expressed in experiences from the external environment, but to a large extent also from the artist's thoughts and feelings. Margith has come this far because of her curiosity and desire to experiment and immerse herself in painting. For her, working with painting and art is a free space. A place where she can completely let go and leave everything behind. Consciously and unconsciously, life's impressions and everyday moments are processed. Margith Kostending's motif world is a positively different experience and you are fascinated by her imagination and composition between reality and fiction.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I am a Danish woman, age 64, and educated as a social pedagogue with a specialty in visual arts in 2003. Since 2015, my main occupation is working with visual arts.”
What inspires you?
“I am inspired by experiences from my external surroundings, but to a large extent also from my own thoughts and feelings, which I recall and use to create mood and expression.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“The human, the human body and the face / portrait”
“I am inspired by experiences from my external surroundings”
How would you describe your work?
“I aim for an immediate approach to the painting and want an experimental approach to the processes that arise through colors and structures and not least my thoughts.”
Which artists influence you most?
“The Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo; Michael Kvium, a Danish visual artist who lives in Copenhagen and Salvador Dalí, a Spanish painter.”
What is your creative process like?
“When I work with the painting and the expression, I find myself in an energy field and a kind of meditative approach to the work. My focal point is the incorporation of strong colors and contrasts. I am immersed in the process and keep the focus on essential elements in the motif. I balance between the controlled and a more free expression that work together differently in the motif. The motifs are expressed in experiences from the external environment, but to a large extent also from my thoughts and feelings.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“My role as an artist is to convey my experiences, feelings and humor to my surroundings and to reflect on the reactions of those around me.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I had the privilege to show my work at Science on a plate.”
