Six questions for
Nicholas Stewens

Tique asks six questions to an artist about their work and inspiration.
This week: Nicholas Stewens.

Artist Nicholas Stewens
Lives in Frankfurt, Germany

How do you describe your own art practice?

For a while, I hesitated to consider myself a “painter” since I felt the paintings I produced weren’t indulging in all the things I romantically projected onto the act of painting. I rather felt they indulged in the conservative urge to paint something symbolic of a kindred questionable worldview.
I am now aware that it doesn’t change the fact that I have indeed produced a painting. It was however through that train of thought, that my practice has shifted from a focus on image production to a focus on image presenting installations and sculptural gestures.

Which question or theme is central in your work?

Currently, a lot of my works circle around situations that are unaware of their hostile nature, usually based on an act of glorification: a presentation and passing on of something that doggedly holds on to f.ex. a symbol, a situation, a thought, or a self-understanding.

What was your first experience with art?

I am not quite sure what my first experience with art was, since me and my siblings grew up in a creative household. The first time I remember experiencing a greater awareness around aesthetic experiences however was at 10 years old, when I was struggling to draw my own legs from my perspective. My older sister taught me the difference between actively looking at the object I was drawing, as compared to drawing what I assumed they looked like. As a preteen this was a revelation: I felt I had just acquired the skill of actively perceiving my surroundings.

What is your greatest source of inspiration?

Most things romantic, monuments and thoughts of pedestals.

What do you need in order to create your work?

I want to stay in conversation and exchange ideas while I’m working.
I appreciate the humor in art and don’t want to tell inside jokes only I myself am in on.

What work or artist has most recently surprised you?

I was intrigued by a talk Jordan Wolfson held and am now looking forward to seeing his exhibition in Bregenz.

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