Interview
Ute Bivona
For over 15 years, Ute has built up a renowned name in the art scene and she is also receiving more and more recognition worldwide, e.g. B. in USA, Canada, Japan, etc. She received her diploma in Communicational Design in 1986, under the lead of Prof. Wolfgang Näscher. She then worked as a freelancer designing graphics, illustrations and layouts for small and medium enterprises. Since 2020, she is a full-time artist and art instructor. Her approach and her work are constantly evolving and she is constantly refining her personal style.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Drawing and painting was always a way for creating my own world, in the colors I wanted. I was also good in learning foreign languages, therefore my parents wanted me to become translator and to study languages at the University. But I wanted to paint, I wanted to create and study the tools and techniques to create what I wanted. So, I studied Communicational Design which included graphics, illustration, layout, calligraphy and much more. After my diploma, I worked as a self-deployed graphic designer but it didn’t make me happy. To be creative under pressure and to have to realise the client’s ideas wasn’t really satisfying. In contrary, this job made me lose all of my passion and creativity and after my separation from my husband – me as a single mum with two daughters – I decided to let go creativity and find a day job to maintain my children and me. I was really fortunate, I got a job that taught me so many things that were perfect for my customer relationship, IT, sale and finance and in the end, I have been there for 10 years and headed two departments in this international company. But again my body and my mind told me what I rather should do and as I didn’t listen to the call deep down inside of me I got a burnout. So, I finally got ready to do what I really had loved and missed all these years: I wanted to start painting again! And I did!”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“I am a professional artist and I am working figuratively but mainly abstract and expressive paintings and as a painting instructor in my studio in Munich. So, the story behind my pictures is the story of hope, healing, joy and unreserved respect and love for and coherence and oneness with nature. I love working with colors and their variations, to mix and be surprised what tones I can create. I love to explore the interaction of colors, they give me my inspiration. I work with high-quality materials and professional acrylic and oil paints only, because lightfastness and color brilliance are absolutely indispensable for me. My work is boldly colored and richly textured, my heavy body acrylics are often looking like oils, with multiple layers, scratched, sanded, carved into and drawn onto. It’s based on joy, the joy of creating, the joy of transforming all that I see, everything that makes me smile and is healing me, into unique artworks that aim to bring joy to the viewer. My vision is very emotional, intuitive and positive; with brightly colored gestural brushwork and a passionate reference to the oneness with nature.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“I work in series and so the main direction of my paintings is planned but I give accidents and intuition a chance. My art is strongly intuitive, the paintings show me the direction where it wants to go. I experiment with techniques, materials and backgrounds so that every work needs another focus and attention.”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“No. I have tried to work in NFTs but there wasn't a satisfying result. My art is for lovers of color, texture and materials who want to touch and feel it.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“My work is boldly colored and richly textured, my heavy body acrylics are often looking like oils, with multiple layers, scratched, sanded, carved into and drawn onto. I sometimes work in multimedia for giving my work rich haptics. I mostly begin with water soluble graphite pens in order to activate the canvas and to get an interesting background in the next step. Only after working with media to accentuate the graphite marks, the colorwork begins in light watery and mostly dark layers. My painting is built up layer by layer what gives the work depth and meaning. Mark making and asemic writing is an important part of my work, too.”
“My vision is very emotional, intuitive and positive; with brightly colored gestural brushwork and a passionate reference to the oneness with nature.”
What does your art mean to you?
“Art is such an integral part of my life today. It's my life, my love, my world, my soul. Making art is healing me, so it's a kind of psychic hygiene for me painting every day. My art wants to heal, spread joy and optimism in a world full of hate and fear.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“My favorite artwork is always the last one because there's every emotion and impression in it of that very moment. In consequence it's what it expresses me the most at this time.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My recent exhibitions include: ARTMUC Munich - "Emotions" Galerie MeetLoft München (2023); "Early Spring", Galerie Kunsthaus Rapp, Wil, Switzerland (2023) and CLOUDART 1.0 - Collective Exhibition of three artists from Munich (2022).”
Website: www.utebivona.com
Instagram: @ute_bivona_art
