“Imperfection is the foundation of our uniqueness,” explains young Danish artist Christiane Spangsberg, whose compellingly simple one-line pen and ink drawings rely on embracing chance and spontaneity as part of the creative process. With a style that feels both classic—bringing to mind masters like Picasso and Matisse—and current, we visited Christiane at her Copenhagen studio to discuss art as expression, and the evolution of her style. Photos by Naomi Akvama Can you share more about your upbringing — where you are from, what your childhood was like? I was born and raised in a town called Vejle in Jutland, Denmark, with three half-brothers on my fathers side but raised as an only child since they were much older than me. My mom was alone with me and had to work hard to make everything work out. I think my fascination about drawing came when I was very young: I often had to entertain myself, and I think I went into another world when I brought my pencils out. I practiced different techniques and had a period where I also did a lot of aquarelle. I practiced imitating objects, and could do it over and over again until I thought it was perfect. I went to drawing school and perfected my techniques even more. This period went on until I was about 12 years old. I stopped because I didn’t think imitating objects was fun anymore...and to me I just wasn’t good enough. I never got it quite right in my mind. We're fascinated by your process and the influences behind your work. Can you share more? I have periods now where I draw more than others. I go into my inner self and try to figure things out...I draw as an expression of this. I don’t think about themes or what I’m trying to express, I more or less think about nothing (or I try to think about nothing). When I place the pencil on the drawing I have to stop my mind and let go. If I 'think,' I mess up. I don’t get an honest expression. When I’m done, I just put it the drawings away again. I’m mostly influenced by humans. Our expressions reveal so much about what we feel inside. That’s why I think I for now mostly have done portraits. I highly value the uniqueness of art, and it’s very important to me to stay original. I don’t do orders or things that are not me just to earn money. That’s why I don’t live off being an artist. I don’t want to compromise. I want to sell one-of-a-kinds and be true to myself. Besides Picasso, which artists have been influential or inspirational to you? I love Matisse and his cutouts. He says: “It’s like cutting directly into the color” (or something like that), but I just love this approach. Instead of adding, you simply remove and create forms and shapes. Where you can see my direct inspiration from Matisse is from his book, where he works with handwritten text combined with his works. This is something, to me, that works so well and I sometimes worked a bit with handwritten text above or underneath an artwork. Many of your works are quite minimalist in color and palette. Is this a conscious choice? I guess it’s not conscious, but very much an unconscious choice. I try to distinct myself from anything else I see, but mostly I draw to myself. When I handpick my collection I think about which ones I would love to keep to myself. I can’t say whether or not I’m formed by the Danish design tradition of minimalism. Maybe. I just think that human beings are so complex that I don’t need to add more to have their complexity stand out. The expression speak for itself. Drawing in one line is to me a way of creating unity, which combined with complexity creates some aesthetic attributes. You share in the “about” page on your website that you are inspired by “imperfection.” Can you share more? Going back to my childhood I never thought that anything could be good enough. It was stressing me to the point where I felt bad. I still struggle with this sometimes. I actually think all people do. But what I have learned through the past years is that imperfection is the foundation of our uniqueness. It’s the most beautiful thing we all share and thus it’s the one thing we often fear the most. In my works I pay attention to this topic. My message is that beauty is found in our imperfections. And let me say it again, I think this is a topic for me because I absolutely hate being imperfect. My rational mind knows it’s good, but my irrational mind hates it. It takes practice, and I’m practicing my imperfection. What do you do to get in the work “flow” — do you listen to music while you work, or find that you work best at a certain time of day, etc.? I mostly work just before I go to bed. I have to be so tired, that if I close my eyes I would sleep. Cause then the noise in my head is more quiet. I listen to calm music. It’s also important to remember, the fact that I only draw when I have something inside of me I need to express. I don’t know if that sounds weird...but drawing to me is just my private media of communication. And most importantly, I only draw when I’m alone. What are some of your favorite supplies, tools, or types of paper to use? Indian ink, ink pen, black or blue in different thickness. Quality aquarelle paper. I mostly draw on a size A3, but I think it’s fun to draw on larger papers, it’s not that often I feel like it. Do you ever go through periods of feeling uninspired or having creative stagnancy? If so, how do you combat it or get over a creative slump? Yes! Definitely. Drawing is my need, not my job. If I have to draw, I can’t. I can’t force it, nor will I. I go through long periods where I don’t draw at all. Even though my works seem simple to make, there are only a few I choose to have in my collections. The rest I tear into pieces and throw out. I like creative slumps, those are the “in betweens” that make me miss drawing. What other contemporary artists are you interested in or inspired by? Mathias Mo Malling from Denmark and Milosz Odobrovic from Ukraine. What recent concepts or ideas have you been inspired to express? I’m doing my Master studies within IT, and have started to think a lot about humans and technology. I made an artwork the other day, where I wrote “bound by technology” above the drawing. I think this is an expressions of what I’m going through right now. The more I get into the theories, these topics will have a much larger impact on my mind. So I guess it will show in my future works somehow? Shop Christiane's Picks
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