Having been involved in various painting motifs and patterns, Thorben Eggers‘s desires to develop an artistic language which addresses a mixture of visual representations on his canvases from photorealistic to abstract concepts. Eggers (b.1988) is a young artist based between Düsseldorf and Vienna with a diverse academic background; his bachelor degree was in philosophy while also recently graduated from the Fine Arts Academy in Vienna.
In one hand, his style usually demonstrates an act of movement incorporating a sense of gentle illusion in his work. His soft disconnecting compositions render a remarkable dynamism keeping the viewer’s eyes more engaged with the artwork. Although the image’s disorder could create a bigger visual confusion for the viewer, Eggers manages to visually develop a new parallel picture with an ambiguous narrative. In this respect, the painting’s creative deconstruction is not irreversible, as the artist holds a delicate balance which does not finally give an abstract shape to the painting. On the contrary, the viewer deals with a soft disillusion allowing him/her to interact with the painting. Perhaps, his studies in philosophy lead Eggers to embody another intellectual dimension in his painting practice, questioning what is real and what is not.
On the other hand, Eggers’s visual vocabulary is also enriched by painting techniques which often convey vivid photographic perspectives on his canvases illustrating his interest in the genre of photorealism. Many of his artworks interestingly project an image on his canvas carefully designed to suggest that it is accurate, such as a photograph, but also literally or metaphorically distanced from reality. The artist’s inspiration mainly derives from mass-produced objects of the digital world where a CD, a VHS or radio cassette consist major motivations for him to create oil painted artworks. Yet s devotion to the aesthetics of the digital culture calls into question the efficiency of contemporary codes of creative expression. In this conversation with ArtVerge, Eggers not only explains more about his painting process underscoring the fact that he “paints based on photos” but also reveals many more about himself.
Can you tell us the process of making your work?
Photographs often form the starting point for the painterly transformation, in which reality is captured on a surface. To perceive and process the world through surfaces is my primary artistic interest. In this case, I am interested in the relationship between analog and digital surface. The perception of this immaterial perception is transferred once more into the real world in that the object is painted. I understand painting, which reflects on historically charged analogue production features, as a kind of simulation of reality, and it is my preferred medium for implementing a subjective, real inscription.
How would you define your work in few words?
It is about the question of we perceive-reality-and being confused with the different simulations that proclaim an immense appeal.
Do you have a favorite book, film or painting that inspires you?
“Al painters and just about anybody should paint from photos” (1966), Gerhard Richter.
I also paint based on photos, but where is the difference? If you want to translate the nearly 50 years old Credo in the modern era, one should paint user/desktop or animated images of smartphones today. Perceive and process the world over surfaces/interfaces is my primary artistic interest.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHEn_bohW5F/
Which is the exhibition you visited last?
Actually, I am not quite sure, because they are a lot. But I think, it was one exhibition here in Dusseldorf about the genre of curtains.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I am definitely a morning person, which mean that I am starting around 8-9 am in the morning in the studio and working there for about 6-7 hours til my concentration is over and my mind and eyes can not focus anymore. After lunch I preparing new stuff on the mac in photoshop as different simulations.
Is the glass half empty or half full?
It is always half full!
Which are your plans for the near future?
I am planning an exhibition in a digital room via virtual reality lenses for 2017. Furthermore, I keep on focusing on paintings with shaped canvases and reflecting about the term “image” in a digital age.
http://thorbeneggers.com/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFJSd_jnglb/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGKhDpZngny/