DATURA (the art for the outer space)

DATURA (the art for the outer space)In the series “Datura” I explore the concept of how the art for outer space would look like. I first paint organic shapes from nature. With obsessively applied dots on the borders and edges of intertwining shapes and lines, I break the previously painted forms and transform them into abstract patterns. Adding layers of lines and dots I create space in a very stylized and graphic manner. Simple yet intricate patterns of dots create depth and in combination with bold fields of vivid colors make surreal landscapes or abstractions. I find inspiration in the otherworldly south west landscape of the United States, Georgia O’Keeffe’s flower paintings, Yayoi Kusama’s iconic dot patterns and indigenous art. I named the series “Datura” after the plant Datura, used in southwest indigenous cultures as a medicinal cure and psychedelic. The usage of this plant is explained by a German anthropologist Christian Rätsch:  ”A mild dosage produces medicinal and healing effects, a moderate dosage produces aphrodisiac effects, and high dosages are used for shamanic purposes".There is a specific energy that each painting emits. Its hypnotic patterns and vivid color combinations open up new dimensions and make the viewer feel at peace, energized, and cheerful.