An Interview with Richard Schemmerer

Artist Interview: Richard Schemmerer

Birthplace/Origin/Year: Munich, Germany; August 27, 1957

Currently Resides: Portland, OR., since 1995.

Education: Degree in Multi media Information technology

When did you first want to be an artist, or when did you first realize you were one?

I never wanted to be an artist. I thought I would be a soccer star like David Beckham like every other little boy in Bavaria. The first time I realized I wanted to be an artist was when I started to carve masks out of tree bark and when I got my first brand new bike and immediately started painting it in with my water color set.

You are a multimedia artist, that has worked in many different forms (2D, installation, sculpture, photos). Which one defines you best and why?

I like to incorporate elements that create interest on multiple levels, so that new aspects are exposed depending on the mood of the observer. Interdisciplinary describes it the best. I am here to break the rules of preconceived aesthetics. I am not a decorator, but an artist that pushes the boundaries of the social contract that seems to be always busy with restricting experience rather then amplifying it.

In a world saturated by images and with the speed of communications now, is two dimensional art still relevant?

Art is the only thing relevant because it is a stationary expression that can stop your mind and engage your mind on a deeper level than fleeting images of popularized culture. Art can express what can’t be controlled in an obvious way or through subtle means. 2D is the best format because it can be transported so it will stay relevant and shape shift according to the needs of society often in disguise as decoration.

You are a well honed veteran to the art world, showing in multiple countries and venues. Do you still consider yourself an outsider artist?

I will always be an outsider artist because I am always going to surprise myself with my artistic expressions. My art is not scripted but comes out of the universal force that expresses itself creatively in a myriad of ways and is independent from fashionable trends. Sometimes I feel like I am being taken over by Archetypal powers that use me as the brush to paint on the canvas of life through the means of Art. I guess many others said that before. There is something radical in me that forces me to manifest something that is in opposition to the established notion of what art should be.

Your show for April is at The East Bank Commerce Center, an open gallery in a creative small business complex. How do you feel about showing in alternative spaces outside the gallery scene?

I love it because as long as we have options to show our work independenlyt the system itself has to stretch and evolve. Every system strives for control to keep its power position alive. After awhile that survival tactic is its only creative output and it allows me the luxury not to have to copy myself if I don’t want to. I hate being forced into a style so I can be marketed like a designer hand bag. Every 5 year old can copy itself. I see it as an insult and I hope that other artists will start to revolt against it.

Is there any artwork, artist, or art movement which you feel attached to? If so, why? If not, why?

This is changing with time and the new art that is created. I liked the Dada movement and all the following fringe elements. Arte Povera and text based art have a strong influence on me. I learned to appreciate the craftsmanship of the old masters and the archetypal symbolism of religious paintings. Right now I am drawn to urban and graffiti art because it shows the courage to point out that everything is not all right. But at the same time I can appreciate the beauty and humor in the whimsical trends that seem to be popping up following Pop art patterns. I am not a fan of Andy Warhol because I don’t think everyone is an artist but I get the irony of it. [Warhol] created a swamp of wannabe artists/ designers/poets/musicians/all the above you get my drift. The life of an artist is not glamorous but lots of new comers think so and get into it for the wrong reasons. I would say every one is creative and can and should express this vital energy in millions of ways it keeps life fresh and the mind awake.

What is the most important element or message (political or social) that you want to portray with your art?

Political freedom of expression is the most vital and the most fragile looking back at our history. We can’t ever fall asleep and take it for granted. The other thread through my art is that of social inter-relation . We are not an island. We are an earth and together we have to address how we want to live on this planet. Nobody is better than the other, but it doesn’t mean that one can’t point out where there is room for improvement.

In contrast to the Portland art market, which do you think is smarter for an emerging artist: pricing work affordably to make it more accessible, or pricing work high, to make it more precious?

Every time I have a show I am annoyed by the pricing issue. I would prefer not to price my art. First of all, it really is priceless because it is not a commodity, even if many buyers think so. It’s about collecting something that’s precious even if it was only so much. I set up in public areas and give away art to people who really like a specific piece, and other times I do shows and elevate the price because I am sure nobody will buy it then. I don’t think one should price art low to make it more accessible, because the human psyche appreciates that only once and starts to expect it the next time. Cheap Art is just what it says, ‘Cheap’ Art. We have become bargain hunters, but to me it just exposes our hidden poverty thinking. Poverty thinking leads down a road to an impoverished society that lacks the self-worth necessary to appreciate an aesthetic environment and forces us to come up with slogans like ‘keep the world weird’ without thinking about the implications and the why we have a need for that. But we have to leave something for another interview and I feel grateful to have been offered this platform to share a little bit of what makes me tick.

Thank you Richard.

Richard Schemmerer displays his new showcase of paintings, sculpture and multi-media constructs at the East Bank Commerce Center (1001 SE Water Ave.). Opening is First Friday, April 4th, 6-9 pm. Show runs the entire month of April.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 2:26 am and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.