ARTIST CATHERINE GRASSER
INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST
CATHERINE GRASSER
So here it is our last artist interview of 2020! It's rather interesting that after all the chaos and uncertainty of this year our final conversation is with an artist who's work we love for its purity, shared inspirations and calmness.
Le Mépris by Godard. The sun. Let the sand slide between my fingers. Straw weavers. Blade. The perfume of books. Anja Rubik. St Barth. The White. Voodoo. Sicilia. Hedonism. Skin tanned by the sun. Serge Gainsbourg. Delicacy. Jacquemus. Walk barefoot in the wet grass. Tulum. Nomadic. The godfather of Copolla. Kate Moss. Anthony Vaccarello for YSL. Marble. Santorini. Jane Birkin. Fall asleep in the sun. Martin Scorcese. The old floors. To touch. Quentin Tarantino. To taste. Feel. White magic The purity. The swimming pool of Jacques Deray. Frank Rocholl. Sensuality. Palm trees. Never seen. Africa. Henrik Purienne. Delicacy. The union of cultures.
please tell us a bit about yourself, career highlights, where you currently live and work?
I started my visual arts studies at the age of 14, in Liège, Belgium, where I currently live. I turned to painting, then restoration of works of art, specializing in glass and ceramics. This is where I learned the gold leaf technique. I liked it straight away and wanted to make it my own and use it my way. I want to convey a feeling, a very positive feeling. All of these experiences allow me not to limit myself to one material, and thus to always be in "exploration" , in discovery.
Your greatest inspirations or influences.
My inspirations are above all cultural. I love to learn all the time, and that happens when you open up to others. It is the greatest wealth that mankind can possess.
Thus, Africa, India, the Caribbean are all common sources of inspiration. It goes through the ways of thinking, beliefs, art ...
An unforgettable meeting took place in Saint Barthélemy, with a lady, a straw weaver. Her age matched by life experiences, and a simplicity of human relations. She told me about the Island, about her youth, and about learning her craft. This exchange had a profound impact on me and I will always thank her for that truly a serendipitous encounter.
Tell us a bit about your creative process.
My work is meant to unify, unite.
Africa, India, Caribbean,…. Each work contains energy, symbols of different cultures.
Buddhist symbolism mixed with voodoo codes.
White magic and scarification become sources of inspiration, nature and man become one. The canvases are painted, embroidered, gilded in 23 carat loose leaves, nailed, torn.
I like the minimalism, the purity and the simplicity of the materials, such as ropes, cottons, brass nails, ...
The porcelain is worked like a biscuit, a mat white, reminiscent of the porosity of marble or chalk. It becomes a talisman, a ritual object.
I attach great importance to the tactile side, I like to touch, it’s stronger than me. I like the textures.
Magnificent projects and collaborations are emerging, these will be concrete in 2021. I will tell you more in due course, for the suspense side ... A clue: the African continent.
How has this year changed your creativity or how do you see the evolution of the art industry?
This year has necessarily changed all the exhibition projects, workshops, etc ... Like the impression that we wanted to silence the artistic world, to take away all power of communication.
I will remember that it allowed me to refocus, both on the private and artistic spheres. To experience the impermanence of things and to open my perception towards a more serene evolution.
I come from a family of resistance fighters, and I was taught not to give up. I kept going, and looked at the positive in each day, to bounce back, so I'm ready to always move forward in 2021.
As for the art industry, I hope it will keep a human scale, where people meet and chat freely in front of a work.
Anything else you would like to share
We reclaim our freedoms. Let’s be free to love, to think and to travel in order to meet each other.