With the freedom to be professionally and financially independent, art is the ultimate exploration in my life. This raises the question of what art is. The answer is quite simple. Art is what an artist does. I am an artist and I make art because that’s all I do. After thousands of paintings, I have mastered form, color, and effect; I cultivate exploration, contemplation, and inspiration, and consider psychology, philosophy, and, last but not least, physics (optics). Harnessing this intellectual commitment from the very beginning, I have bravely made it through the phase of imitation and am now willing and able to express myself without being random, even if I have nothing to do with flowers, pots, or writing and prefer coffee to tea.
Being an artist is more faith than talent, a decision. It is about defining and shaping the (remaining) time. Thoughts and actions must not be subject to any purpose or goal. It is nice that this surrounds you with a shamanic aura that brings benevolence and consideration. It has been known since ancient times that everything is hidden and covered up, and there is nothing I can do about it. So I use it. The freedom that arises from the attempt to uncover is irrational or absurd ; that is how my pictures have to be. It is irrelevant whether I work classically or use digital preparation or AI (artificial intelligence) tools; the implementation remains classical after the analog transfer to the medium and is still subject to the creative process.
As a libertarian cognitive agent and systems laboratory technician, in my effort to sum this up, I came across a term that aptly describes it: hypernormal . Hypernormal is a term from psychology and describes a personality that tries very hard to appear normal. The term is also used in mathematics and describes a matrix. Hypernormality can be a never-existent, infinitely ambiguous mediocrity or an ensnaring parallel world. Ultimately, the term describes an irrational state of knowledge about and one’s own behavior in a society, a fake society. In addition to the sociological and mathematical aspects, there are also medical and some culturally relevant aspects.
With this art movement, I do justice to the post-truth era we are all moving toward. I neither want to counteract the causes, nor do I consider it wise to attempt to do so. My art is a provocative reckoning with the madness we experience in politics, economics, religion, and society, which is inherent in every single person, and has always been.
Intelligence and creativity are proven to be inextricably linked, even if this quickly leads to an anarchist worldview. I’m not an anarchist, but I’d like to be one. The danger lurks of obeying the sway of an external influence and becoming trapped by my own expectations. I’m afraid of becoming overconfident. But as long as confusion and habit are replaced by indifference and courage, for me, “it’s all right, right,” as Aunt Annelise would say.
- In the above sense, my pictures from 2015 onwards are not realistic but normal, hypernormal; don’t trust them.
- Art is not decoration but explanation and at the same time a business, a highly absurd business.
- Hypernormality is considered an indicator of a system change in times of [ahead of a |
Jens H. Westermann