Hello Fabian Kochendoerfer ! Thank you for taking time for that interview and we are happy to welcome you at HAZEGALLERY. Tell us please about yourself. When art did appear in your life and what was the starting point?
As a kid I used to go to art museums and exhibitions of famous artists. I was amazed and fascinated by art and by the artists. There was nothing more interesting in the world to me. I knew instantly that this is what I wanted to do.
The only thing I wanted to do. But I did not know how to do art or become an artist. Art was a mystery. I could not articulate this properly and was not taken seriously in my interest in art by my parents or teachers. As little kid I already started creating, building and inventing things obsessively. Under my bed I had boxes full of all kinds of things that I collected and used to create stuff. I was building my own fantasy games out of stuff that I found and collected everywhere. Since I was not allowed to have plastic toys as a kid I build everything myself out of necessity. Luckily went to a school that emphasized on artistic skills, music and art craftsmanship, so I got allot of practice in practically every craft discipline during 13 years of school till graduation.
Before I could become a real artist, I needed to know what art is and what the truth is. If I did not know these most important things how could I create real art and be a real artist? I thought I would be cheating and only pretending to be an artist. That was not acceptable for me. To get my answers I went to university to study philosophy and art history. After two years studying everything I was very disappointed that no one could give me a proper answer. Luckily I found out what art is in an exhibition in Zurich and what the truth is in a meditation session called “Satsang” in 1999 and dropped out of university successfully to only do art form now on.
Your artist name is MINIMAN. What does it mean and why did you choose it? You said it is your alter ego, what does it mean?
I created MINIMAN because I needed a short, strong name that is easy to remember for my Master thesis where I created an alter-ego identity construction of a rapper – since my Master thesis was about identity construction. I created the name MINIMAN in one hour. It came very quickly in a creative intuition and inspiration session. After the feedback was so positive and the music project was so successful I kept the name and used it for all my art as an alter-ego. An alter-ego is basically an alternative ego – an alternative you. Thus MINIMAN is partly created by my biography and partly fictional. The benefit of having an alter-ego as an artist is that I can be more of who I want to be and that gives me more freedom. I can also separate myself and my artist role better. This separation of my personal role, artistic role and entrepreneur role I play is helpful. Since I am not being all roles at the same time and they are very different sometimes too.
You said that your motto is GROW OR DIE TRYING. Can you elaborate on this?
MINIMAN was just a cool name at first. But it grew slowly into a more complex philosophical and “spiritual” concept over time to match my personality and mission as an artist and conscious being. It took over 10 years to grow into this holistic concept. MINIMAN is an attitude. MINIMAN represents the idea that you can be more and grow. That you have unlimited potential in you to discover and unleash. MINIMAN stands for a universal possibility to become more of who you are. (“Become who you are!” ― Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None)
You can’t allow yourself to grow if you think you are the greatest already! You can’t learn and improve if you think you know everything already! Thinking you are the best and the smartest. Only if you understand you are not the greatest you allow yourself the room to grow to use your potential.
To access that potential in you can be challenging. Personal growth happens only outside of your “comfort zone”. MINIMAN is not about physical size but about inner size like personal, spiritual, emotional, mental size. Is a motto to never stop learning, growing and becoming who you really are. Never give up on yourself. Never compromise. Never settle for less. Until you die. Thus the motto: GROW OR DIE TRYING
Tell us please about your life philosophy and how it is reflected in your art.
To put it very simple. There is only consciousness. Everything else is an illusion. Everything you can observe is not you since you are the observer. Since there is only universal consciousness and nothing else really exists we are in a cosmic paradox: consciousness is observing consciousness. Awareness is aware of awareness. Consciousness is trying to experience its self as different beings to get a more complete and full experience of its own consciousness. Everything is just a reflection and a tool for universal consciousness to experience itself. There is no solid matter or different beings that we take for granted. These are just different frequencies that appear as these things to our senses. We are part of a matrix simulation that we call our world and a story we call ourselfs. But that is all part of the cosmic universal experience of universal consciousness experiencing itself as different aspects and facets of the same consciousness. Everything is one.
Everything is the same consciousness appearing in different “forms”. This is where philosophy, quantum physics and spirituality fuse into one. Because they are one – obviously. It’s not a theory. It is a real-life experience “everyone” can experience. Its life itself. It’s the only real “thing” there is. Most never experience and therefore never understand this. But everyone experiences and understands finally when they “die”. This experience is the reason why I do art. To express this truth that has been expressed by artist for thousands of years. Mostly in eastern philosophy and art. I try to make this truth visible with my art. So other people can see it. Can you see it?
What are the main sources of inspiration? Is your creation more spontaneous or do you prepare the ideas in advance?
My main source of inspiration what this experience of truth and self-realization that I am consciousness and everything else is the same consciousness. It is very easy to see in nature for me. So I naturally gravitate to nature and get inspired by nature. Nature is a true interface that reflects this truth. Once you have the experience yourself you can see it in nature everywhere. In every tree, flower, water, cloud the sun. It’s everywhere if you really pay attention and are aware and overserve.
Mostly you work with a polaroid camera. Why did you choose exactly such a technique?
I chose a polaroid camera in the year 2000 because I could not afford a professional SLR camera or a video camera. Those cameras where very expensive at that time. So I picked the only camera I could afford and that also had the film instantly develop. Since I am very impatient I want to see the result instantly. So I walked out the photography store with a spectra elite with a bag and a double pack of film. Later I started to analog hand-edit my polaroids in my unique style I invented and developed over 20 years now. Looking back I could not have picked a better camera for me that fits my needs and gives me the creative expression to express my style. I wanted to fuse painting and photography into a new medium: a mix of both and none. Editing my polaroids manually gave me a medium to create images that look sometimes like an abstract painting but done with photography. This was very convincing and satisfying for me. The polaroid film 2000 was very thick and the chemicals where very different from today. The film was perfect to paint and “sculpt” with. My polaroids from the year 2000 have a 3D relief landscape that gives the image a three-dimensional effect and not just a 2D image. This third dimension on my polaroids was very important for me. It completed my vision of a hybrid of photography and painting that has a visible and tangible 3D surface. It was my dream come true. I was 23 years old in 2000 and extremely experimental. I was a pioneer. Because I had to be. I needed to proof to myself and to the world that I am an artist. I created over 1000 polaroids in less than a year living in nature in a 200-year-old farm house on the Swabian Alps by myself. I had no help, no photography books with tips and tricks, no Instagram with followers and likes and encouraging comments, no role model or art teacher. I invented my style and everything myself. To me that counts. These thick polaroid instant films got discontinued and changed into very thin films very soon after. Unfortunately I was not able to find a way to technically replicate 3D photography prints of those polaroids. However, I am very satisfied with the photo prints on aluminum with acrylic glass.
How do you come up with the idea and when the implementation does start? Where do you work and do you have any unusual rituals?
Since I am constantly thinking and analyzing the world around me, connecting the dots, overserving my surroundings, being in nature everyday, being an artist and philosopher for decades I have ideas and inspirations all the time. I have so many ideas that only the best and doable ideas get realized. Since I am working by myself and I don’t have a team or big budget – unfortunately - so I have to work with the
most simple things. I do the best with what I got, following the alchemy attitude “turning lead into gold”. I start implementing my idea as soon as possible. Ideally right away when I am most motivated and the idea is fresh. I work anywhere and wherever I am. In nature, at home, on holidays, in the kitchen, wherever I am. From Monday to Sunday, 365 days a year every year. I don’t have any unusual rituals – not that I know of.
How has the pandemic affected your creative process in terms of goal setting? Do you have the periods of burnout and how do you struggle with them?
The pandemic has not affected my creative process. I have been creating art independently from anyone before, so the lockdown did not affected my creative process in terms of goal setting or creativity. Being an entrepreneur for 10 years I am very familiar with burnout and have been struggling with being exhausted and over worked. This happens naturally when being highly motivated and going out of your comfort zone allot. Taking big risks and having big dreams and goals will lead in a burnout naturally at some point. This is a big problem nobody is talking or educating about. I just try to be more respectful towards my body and work less, eat well and sleep enough. Unfortunately recovering from burnout takes a very long time and is very slow.
What are your future artistic plans and current projects you are working on. Tell us please about your future collaboration with Haze Gallery.
I am building my brand and my artist career. I want to be internationally known and successful. I want to have my own museum that I want to build myself or set up myself. My goal: one MINIMAN in every household.
If this happens or not is not really relevant or in my control. My definition of success does not depend on these things like fame, sales, reputation or my own museum.Real art is independent from these factors and has nothing to do with commercial success. I would love to be supported in my efforts to be internationally successful by Haze Gallery.
What’s your definition of beauty?
Beauty is a direct reflection of truth. Like I explained before, truth is universal. Truth is not subjective. There are opinions about truth, but they are just opinions and have nothing to do with the truth. That’s why they are called opinions. Opinions are opinions. The truth is the truth. This is exactly the same with beauty. Beauty is not subjective or opinion based. This is a very big misguided notion of modern and
contemporary art. A big misunderstanding or miseducation. Unfortunately this is now “normal” and done on purpose. Truth and beauty are universal and eternal and always has been. Whether humans understand this or not. Beauty and truth follow the same cosmic, eternal and universal principles. These universal principles have nothing to do with human opinions or misunderstanding or miseducation of artists, collectors, critics, curators, gatekeepers, or the “art world”. Thank god.
Humans need truth. Humans need beauty. That’s why they need art. That’s why art exists and plays a big role in modern culture and so-called societies and civilizations. But that’s why truth is being suppressed and manipulated. Just like beauty is being suppressed and manipulated. Not because it’s irrelevant. But because it is most and vitally relevant.
Thank you very much for your time and good luck with everything you do!
Thank you very much for your interesting questions and all the best for you too! It has been my pleasure.
Fabian Kochendoerfer
GROW OR DIE TRYING
Instagram Fabian Kochendoerfer @fabiankochendoerfer