10 Questions with Markus Böhm

Markus Böhm is a well-known German artist. He combines abstraction with symbolic and figurative elements. Besides physical art, he designs digital crypto art. He creates unique connections from the physical to the virtual world. Markus Böhm is the son of an art teacher. In Bremen, he completed his specialized baccalaureate in art and design with a focus on surface and sculpture. He sold his artworks among friends and acquaintances. At the same time, he took up studies at the Academy for Fashion and Design and began a career in the textile industry. From artist to director of an institute for the textile and clothing industry in Indonesia, to start-up entrepreneur, to marketing and communications consultant for international corporations, Markus Böhm successfully reinvented himself again and again. In his early 50s, he is now returning to his starting point and incorporating the experiences he has gained into his art. His work focuses on painting and its transformation into digital arrangements such as NFT art. He lives, and work in Frankfurt am Main and also abroad.

www.markusboehm.art | @markus_boehm

ARTIST STATEMENT

The artist Markus Böhm believes that every human being has the power to make the world a better place for himself and others. He encourages the viewer to go through the world with open eyes and curiosity and improve grievances. In his works, he addresses social and environmental issues such as change, sustainability, and consumption. He tells stories and also uses diptychs for this purpose. His artistic style combines abstraction with symbolic and representational elements. Neon is juxtaposed with pastel colors or somber, muted tones. Strong brushstrokes, scratched, spatulated areas of color, geometrically arranged pictorial elements, and collages create contrasts that lend the work's dynamism. He uses different materials in his works, through which he creates dynamic and expressive arrangements. His new work bundles his messages and appeals under the termsDISCOVER&IMPROVE. Markus Böhm works in the art series DISCOVER on acrylic glass and uses special acrylic colors, such as gold and mother-of-pearl, as well as collage techniques and lacquer spray. The acrylic glass surfaces are smooth, but his unusual treatment gives them a shiny, shimmering, partly transparent appearance. In addition to his engraved signature, the works bear an abstract wind rose, which he uses as a sign of personal orientation. The special edge bending of the acrylic glass creates a noble object character. The indirect incidence of light paired with the partly transparent structure makes the motif appear lively. In the art series IMPROVE, Markus Böhm works on oil paintings that he has purchased at flea markets. As part of his upcycling process, he further develops existing landscape or still-life motifs, giving them a completely new meaning that breaks with what is already there. For this, he uses acrylic paints, and acrylic glass, for example, but also collage techniques. The framed and matt oil paintings are partly given shiny, shimmering effects by his reworking, which are contrary to the original impression. One of his upcycled works was nominated by the Royal Academy of Arts for the Summer Exhibition. Under the motto from "flea market to NFT market", his upcycled work "Lion in flowers" was sold as Crypto-Art in a bonus auction. The German TV reported about the unusual creation and sales process.

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you, and how did you start experimenting with images? 

I was allowed to experiment with pictures very early in my life. My mother was an art teacher and encouraged me to be artistically active when I was young. I then completed my vocational baccalaureate in art and design in Bremen, majoring in surface and sculpture, and sold my first works of art among friends and acquaintances. At that time, I was also always interested in the fashion industry, so I started studying at the Academy for Fashion and Design and then made a career in the textile industry. Here, too, I was able to contribute creatively and, in a way, practice my art on the human body.  
In general, I have a very unconventional curriculum vitae, which was not always characterized by artistic work. For example, I was the director of an institute for the textile and clothing industry in Indonesia, a start-up entrepreneur, and a marketing and communications consultant for international corporations. I have reinvented myself, again and again, so to speak. Change and creativity in all their forms are the common thread in my life, which is atypical for an artist. Now, in my early 50s, I have returned to my starting point and let the experiences I have gained flow into my art.  

How would you define yourself as an artist? And how did this definition change over the years? 

I am a very critical, contemporary artist, and my art deals intensively with societal, economic, and social issues. I was particularly influenced by the time I worked in the garment industry and in marketing, which gave me a deep insight into its impact on our society. I had to deal in practice, in hard reality, with issues that move and inspire other artists more theoretically and conceptually. These valuable years gave my oeuvre a credible and intense character.   

You have a very recognizable style. What are your influences and source of inspiration? 

Interesting that you see a recognizable style. I rarely get that feedback from art experts and collectors. The themes that move me and that I work with are so diverse that they always require a unique approach. I am a friend of stylistic breaks anyway and cannot imagine staying true to one theme, material, form, and color for years. I experiment. That's how art is created, and that's how art always becomes new and each work unique.  
About inspiration: I rather have an artistic mission that inspires me to see things, situations, encounters, and relationships in the context of change and orientation. Through my art, I want people to welcome the new. My art should inspire people and encourage them to discover new things with joy and curiosity. 

Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? How do you go from the concept to the final product? 

Oh, there is no one way, and in my case, the ways are not always reproducible. But of course, in the beginning, there is an idea for a work that follows my artistic mission. I approach this idea through sketches. Many things are discarded until there is a viable approach, and I turn to the work. In doing so, I always take into account the field of tension in which I am working. So what can the viewer recognize and interpret, and how can I convey my message without attaching a long package insert. This conceptual task is essential for me. Over the years, I have developed three production series I use for the realization. I use either the classic canvas, acrylic glass plates, or existing old paintings that I rework as support media. I also develop some of my works further as NFT Art. I animate digital photographs of these works and thus give them additional meaning. Here, too, I am in a permanent mode of trial and experimentation.      

What do you see as the strengths of your art, visually or conceptually? 

A very good question. My works are peculiar and strange in the sense of being memorable. I think they have a very good balance between conceptual depth and visual appeal. Art doesn't always have to be incomprehensible, off-putting, or provocative. My art is intelligent so that the viewer is challenged but not overwhelmed.    

What's one essential element in your art? 

The focus is always on people and their behavior in private and professional life - in both a positive and negative sense. Especially in today's world, characterized by injustice, environmental destruction, and inequality, I would like to use my art to give impulses for positive, personal change. 

In your art, you touch upon important themes, such as environmental issues, sustainability, and consumption. What messages would you like to convey with your work? 

Thank you for asking this question. Our environment and our coexistence on this earth are very close to my heart and are topics I deal with again and again. Our future has become more uncertain, unpredictable, ambiguous, and complex. In addition, the next generations face serious global problems with immense social and societal consequences. With my art, I want to sensitize people to not only follow the familiar, easy and safe path that prevails in our westernized consumer and working society. I want people to question their actions and activities and, ideally to change them. My aim is to convey insights and trigger a willingness to change. 

You also work with NFTs. Why did you choose this medium? And how do you think it is helping you promote your work? 

I was and am open to new things and have always been interested in the internet and digitalization. So even without the NFT hype, I would have started to transfer my physical works into the digital world. Therefore, it was clear that I would use NFT technology because it brings additional advantages in the context of authenticity and anti-counterfeiting. In addition, a new, very interesting audience for digital art has opened up to me, which is not to be found in the classic art market.    

What do you think about the art community and market? And how is your perception different with the NFT market? 

The artistic community and also the art market has been shaken up by digitalization. New forms of presentation and sale have entered the market.  
Social media alone now show us a large number of creatives and artists struggling for visibility and recognition. Physical and digital art is produced at a rapid pace and distributed even faster through the media. Apart from the unspeakable waste of resources such as materials, paints, use of technology, etc., one should ask whether this urge for self-expression is good for our world.  
Of course, these are phenomena and symptoms of our digital media age, where the potential buyer is not only interested in the artwork but also in the artist. Among other things, this leads to changes and new opportunities in the art market, as the example of the Beeples NFT artwork auctioned at Christie's shows. Artists who have been built up with a lot of effort and respect by galleries, curators, etc. are facing new, far-reaching artist brands who take their development and success into their own hands. These successful examples encourage more people to seek happiness and fulfillment in physical and digital art. However, the NFT market does not solve the problem of oversupply and is also critical because of the high energy consumption and its impact on our environment.
Nevertheless, in general, digitalization has brought momentum and change to a traditional and rigid industry that was guarded by elitist gatekeepers. And that is a good thing for now.  

Finally, any projects or exhibitions you are looking forward to for this year? 

Yes, I will visit the Documenta in Kassel again this year. I also have my own exhibitions coming up, which I'm really looking forward to.