Hello Georg! Tell us a little about yourself. How did you become an artist? You started as a musician and radio DJ and came to art in the late 90s as an autodidact. At what point did you decide to start studying painting?
Music was my fist way of creative exposure. I was always biased by art, I felt it was hyped and over-rated. At a point, I wanted to prove myself that I can do large scale, color dominated paintings myself. That was kind of an autodidact starting point. Of course, I managed to improve my skills over time, taking courses, doing studies, getting more and more structured, towards my own style - #4letterart.
How do you think the experience in the music field influenced the choice of pop art themes in your work and the style of your works?
There is a lot in common with music and contemporary art. Both come with a unique perspective on popular culture, value creativity, individuality, and experimentation.
But a lot of my inspiration indeed comes from music, lyrics in my mind when painting. Quite impulse driven, these words then landed on the canvas - as the first typographical elements in my artworks. Besides song lyrics, pop art sujets on re-worked vintage record covers still are another strong reference to music in my artworks.
In your works, you vary the themes, materials, and techniques. In this way, you are in search of your style or is it a conscious decision?
As an artist, I am in a continuous process of re-mixing elements and structures to create something entirely new and unique. A bit like a DJ. Combining digitally created elements with hand-crafted, traditional techniques like screen-printing or archaic color drops creates a contrast and tension that I find very appealing. I do have a clear vision of how an idea should be transformed into a piece of art and in that process, I like the variety of materials and techniques. Not always the result is as foreseeable and often the unexpected opens new perspectives and points of view.
Your works are represented in many galleries. What are the benefits working with a gallery?
As an artist I want to focus on the creative concept and new ideas. At the same time, a gallery provides exposure – and the opportunity to showcase my work to a wider audience: their network of collectors, art enthusiasts, and industry professionals.
Is there any message in your works? What thoughts should they evoke in the viewer’s mind?
Let it be music, fashion or consumerism in glamorous pop culture - my #4letterart takes impulses and inspiration out of these topics through visual content and words. 4-letter words in particular are compact and reduced - and yet express everything. #4letterart tells stories. Through words and image elements in ever different arrangements, thoughts are created. At the end, the viewer associates their own story.
Tell us about your creative plans in the future.
The potential of #4letterart leaves so much more room to explore new creative playgrounds such as installations and 3-dimensional word art. These are still in a process of experimentation, then the creation process will start. In parallel, new screen print editions and art show participations are in planning – stay tuned and follow the progress on instagram.com/georgsteidinger or steidinger.net
Text by Lyubov Melnickowa @lumenicka