Interview
Paola Telesca
Paola Telesca was born in Rome, Italy. She has lived and worked in Berlin since 1985.
In 1983, she graduated in Rome as an interpreter and translator (Scuola Interpreti e Traduttori). In 1987, Paola attended evening classes at the Weißensee Art Academy in East Berlin, studying under Martin Seidemann. She graduated from the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK-Berlin) in 1996, studying under Dieter Appelt, Michael Schoenholtz and Christiane Möbus.
From 1999-2001, she studied at CIMdata GmbH, an Academy for Digital Media in Berlin, studying to be a Multimedia Designer.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Since childhood, I have always loved to draw. It was clear to me that I wanted to learn art and/or languages. In the end, I pursued both passions: I graduated as an interpreter in Rome and moved to West Berlin in 1985, where the dream of art became reality. Berlin in the ’80s was a divided city full of history and histories, impressions, opportunities and challenges in terms of art. As a young Italian girl, this was very impressive for me.
I had the opportunity to live in both East and West Berlin. In East Berlin, I was able to attend the evening classes (Abendstudium) at the Weißensee Art Academy. This gave me a wonderful academic knowledge, especially in drawing.
Later, from 1989 to 1996, I studied at the Universität der Künste (UdK Berlin) in West Berlin, learning from Dieter Appelt, Michael Schoenholtz and Christiane Möbus. In 2000, I completed a one-year additional course in multimedia, which influenced my work not only in the field of digital photography, but also with regard to video installation.”
“The interaction of the viewer is the moment when art
becomes tangible and awakens emotions. You become
a child again when you dare to interact. The often lost,
forgotten child becomes visible again and art becomes
an experience. The challenge for me as an artist is to
get the viewer to accept this invitation.”
What would you say inspires you most?
“I have always focused on the observation and search for visual expressions in themes that in some way are related or connected to movement and transformation, i.e. movement and transformation through forms, kinetics, emotions, human body and historical, current events.
In my works, I reflect my observation of how movement manifests itself in all possible implications searching for poetry and beauty. In this sense dance is one source of inspiration: I explored the body movements and later on the expressive language of the special Japanese dance Butoh - the dance of the soul. In the series of drawings titled ‘Piercing the Mask’ and ‘Collecting Shadows’, I focus on emotions and feelings, on the duality of things and the search for balance. A balance that comes and goes, and yet is never permanent.
I find my balance in nature. Nature is silent and non-silence at the same time. It is constantly changing. It creates and weaves unseen, fascinating networks. After destruction, there will always be a blade of grass, a flower, a tree and a forest again.
I find very important inspiration in history. I’ve lived in Berlin since 1985 when the GDR still existed, and I had the opportunity to live in both parts of the city at the same time. I’m not interested in the chronological events of history, but rather in what they mean to people. I think about the legacies we carry around with us and how they anchor themselves into our selves. It is about the insecurity, the emotions, the fears, the hopes that we pass on unconsciously from generation to generation - no matter where. The past manifests itself in the present through infinite forms. It may happen that if it is linked to pain or suffering one prefers to leave it silent, quiet. In my work, I deal with it as part of a process of understanding. It is the search for identity and the sense of life. I try to give it a face, to let it speak.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Here are a few artists who inspired me and my work because of their themes, their forms of expression or their aesthetics:
Boltanski - the theme of memory, the fragility of life, the serial work, the past, the heritage.
Käthe Kollwitz - the suffering of humanity, the absurdity of war, the emotions she beautifully expresses in her drawings and graphics.
Bill Viola - the aesthetics of his video installations that encompass the space in an entire artwork, related to my earlier installations with slide projectors.
Eadweard Muybridge - his pioneering work in photographic studies on motion, and early work in motion-picture projection.
Karl Blossfeldt - his black-and-white plant photos.”
How would you describe your work?
“I consider myself a visual thinker. My work consists mainly of drawings, digital photography and installations. I work mostly thematically, often in series, and my work is conceptual. I would like to raise questions, to make visible what is not always visible at first. I strive to find a poetry even where you wouldn't expect it.
Everything can be seen from different perspectives. There is no black without white. Everything belongs together and is part of an endless transformation. If we could see ourselves as tiny parts of the infinite evolution, if we could look at the past and learn from it, we might understand ourselves and what moves us better, I guess.”
“Working on expressions, I concentrate on the gesture of hands. Hands have no face and their language is universal. In their gestures and expressions, I find pain, need and greed.
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“The death of my father and brother and then my motherhood meant a profound change for me. The former theme of purely observing movement in all its forms took on a broader dimension for me, and opened the door to the world of emotions in the form of movement, transformation, change and evolution. I lost two loved persons and gained two new ones. Vulnerability, attachment, the fragility of life, feelings and dealing with emotions became important themes for my research.
Motherhood opened the world of feelings and their transformation. Emotions are energy in motion. This word comes from the Latin ‘ex’ and ‘motio’, giving origin to the word motor (to move, to transfer). Emotions are energy that is generated by reaction, driving more actions and movements.
My work focuses on the vulnerability of the self, the feelings and the questioning of identity. Many of my artworks deal with the emotions and the burden we carry as human beings. It is about the cultural heritage we pass on. Memory, transience and the fragility of our existence are important to me, as is understanding the ‘ebb and flow’ of the emotional world.”
What is your creative process like?
“As far as my photo and video work is concerned, the creative process is not an accident for me. It starts with a feeling, an idea that becomes a concept. It develops through reading, storytelling, investigation and observation. The feeling, the idea searches for an appropriate expression and visualization.
As for the drawings, the creative process is different. In my blind drawings, I am guided by the line itself and I aim to create a minimal, reduced way of drawing (stenography of the line). I like to work with dancers or in theatre performances - in the dark. I leave the essential behind and focus on simple, clean lines and strokes. They can be hard or soft trying to accentuate the movement. I want them to be part of the movement itself.
I love the concentration that captures me when I draw. I never use a rubber. I like to work with black and white. This offers me an abstraction, a distance from reality. When it comes to the presentation of my works, I love to include the space as much as possible. This is important for me. It is the finishing touch to the presentation. The space, with its architecture, light and shadow, has an important influence on the work itself.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Art has always been there and will always be with us. No matter what form it takes, art will always seek and find new forms of expression. It will face and question new times, and try to make visible what is not. The 21st century is a new chapter in the history of humanity. New priorities and new challenges stand before us. Just as politics, society and the economy need a rethink, art is also looking for new forms of expression, new platforms and marketing channels, new strategies.
The fact that art has an important function in society is undoubtedly even more evident in these pandemic times. When one can no longer experience art, one can look forward to enjoying ‘concerts on the balconies!’ The videos that have circulated the world on social networks show us how creative we are, and how great the desire for art and culture is. This eagerness promises a new transformation. We do not know yet what is coming, but it will certainly be different.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I’ve participated in numerous exhibitions, some of which are listed below. For a full list, please take a look at my website.
2021: GEDOK Berlin. Schloss Schönhausen, Berlin. Galerie Parterre, Berlin. ArtBox.Project Barcelona 1.0, Spain.
2020: GEDOK Berlin, European Month of Photography (EMOP). ArtBox.Screen in the ArtBox.Gallery, Zurich. Nacht und Tag 2020, Gerichstshöfe, Berlin.
2019: Nacht und Tag 2019, Gerichtshöfe, Berlin. PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, Vermont Gallery.
2018: Museum Pankow, Berlin.
2010: Tempelhofer-Schöneberg Art Prize, Galerie im Rathaus, Berlin.
2000: ‘International Art Prize 2000’, Kunsthalle werkP2, Hürth at Cologne.
2002: Zeit-Los, Kirche Jakobshagen, Templin. Museum Heimat, Jesteburg.
2000: ‘Kunst aus dem Waggon - Kunst Stationen’, Bahnhof Westend, Berlin.
1999: Gallery Nagornaya, Moscow.
1998: Galerie KunstRaum, Berlin.
1997-1998-1999: ... Und ab die Post, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Festival der Jungen Experimentellen Kunst, Postfuhramt, Berlin.
1997: Galerie Weißer Elefant, Berlin.
1995: Film installation, Haus Tacheles, project funding, Senate for Cultural Affairs, Berlin. Galerie am Prater, Berlin. Kunst und Buch, Villa Oppenheim, Berlin.”
“A selection of my memberships includes:
Admission to Arte Laguna World (2019) - Arte Laguna, Artists in the Spotlight (2021). Member VG Bild-Kunst (since 2020). Member of Gedok Berlin (since 2019). Artist of Arte Laguna World (since 2018).
Some of the awards I’ve received include:
2019: IPA, International Photo Awards - Honorable Mention for Street Photography.
2018: Best of Lens Culture (Photography) - Honorable Mention.
2017: ND Awards Photo Contest - Honorable Mention for Visual Arts: Conceptual Art.
2000: 1st Art Award, ‘Jesteburger Kunstwoche’, Jesteburg.
1993: Art Award, ‘Görlitzer Park - Temporary Projects’, Bethanien Haus, Berlin.”
