Interview: Hara Katsiki

Her first solo exhibition at West Berlin Gallery being just a few days away now, we decided to find out a little bit more about Hara Katsiki, her inspirations, her projects and, of course, her forthcoming show which is starting on September 22th, 18:00.

Hello Hara! What have you been up to lately?

Hi! Well during the past months, I have been working on my first solo exhibition that will take place at West Berlin Gallery. I have also been doing some freelance graphic design, and spending a lot of time in my studio drawing, drawing, drawing!

You’ve won the Illustrative award last year, has it brought you any new opportunities?

It was a big surprise for me to be given this present. If you had asked me two or three years ago, I would never have imagined getting such an award!
I was very happy about it, and it has given me, personally, a lot of power, a lot of hope and a lot of confidence. I got involved in art when I moved to Berlin three years ago, I’m also self-taught, so I just followed my heart but had no idea where this was going to lead me. I still don’t know where my art is going to lead me, but winning the award was definitely a step closer to my dream.

What is your dream then?

My dream is to be a successful artist. I don’t really know what a successful artist is but I want to make art, and I want to be able to live out of it. I also want to be able to travel to get inspiration for my work.
Since I won the Illustrative award, things have definitely improved. I got more promotion within the art scene. I also now have the opportunity to have my own solo show, I received many offers for collaborations and exhibitions…

What inspires you and your work?

Since I started working for my forthcoming exhibition, I have tried to stop looking at other artists’ works, especially those who also do illustration because I do not want to be influenced by other peoples’ work. I am mostly inspired by music, I listen to music non stop – mostly folk music or electronic, minimal music.
I also watch Twin Peaks by David Lynch almost every day, and I am inspired by small trips to the nature. My dreams are also a big source of inspiration: while staying here in my studio in Berlin I can travel all over the world while sleeping and dreaming.

While preparing for your forthcoming show, have you been using new techniques or trying new things?

I have been using gold on black paper, which I had never done before. Also, I did my first paintings on wood using acrylic, as well as illustration on printed photographs.
I have mostly been doing series, for example series of 3 artworks. I tried to stick to only using black, white and gold, and the themes of my works were mostly inspired by nature and strange creatures.

What are you plans after the exhibition?

After this show, I will work with a fashion designer, her label is called Tata Christiane. Together we will make a series of clothes and will take part in the Festival de Hyères, which is an annual fashion event held by the French riviera.
I have always wanted to work in the fashion world, doing clothes or something similar and this is a nice opportunity. I really like her work and I think it is going to be a very nice collaboration.
What I’m going to do is that I’m going to draw on fabric, she will then create clothes with this fabric and I will interfere again at the very end of the process, applying the finishing touch once the clothes are ready.
Another project for this autumn is a porcelain series I am going to do in cooperation with Illustrative. I will do a limited edition series on porcelain, drawing on tableware.

You work in many different fields such as costume design, graphic design, music and so on. Can you tell us a little bit more about those projects?

Well I’m not really focusing on costume design even if it is something I like to do. After the Illustrative forum I made some costumes for a music video for a band from New York. It was very interesting and funny!
I also sometimes design masks. I would like to do more of those but I do so many different things it’s hard to focus on everything, and lately I’ve mostly been doing illustration.
I’m also a DJ, I play different kinds of stuff like jazz & soul, I’m a resident DJ at Tausend Bar in Berlin. Sometimes I also play more minimal, experimental music.

You said you had been trying not to look at other artists’ work while getting ready for your upcoming exhibition, but is there anyone’s work you enjoy at the moment?

I really like Gregory Euclide who does painting & installations. I also like the work of Vali Myers and her drawings, the paintings of Todd Schorr, the very beautiful porcelain dolls of Marina Bychkova, and the music videos of Alex Turvey.

Thank you for your time Hara, we are looking forward to your upcoming exhibition!

You’re welcome!