KuBa in April

In the mid of April, which has been way to cold for a spring day, I visited cosy KuBa – an artist residency in the Prignitz/Brandenburg,

hosted by Sharon Horodi and Mika Kamerer.

Their guests are:

Maria Serga

Catarina Pica

and

Jonas Otto

We had an artist talk – about the whys and hows of their residency

 

 

 

Q & A – featuring CATARINA PICA
Statement
I’m an artist because I am fascinated by color and texture.
Born in Lisbon/Portugal in 1997
Based in Lisbon and Porto, Portugal
Most Fun
… when I am dancing and singing around the house.
The Spark
I remember as a kid I would spend most of my evenings drawing on the floor of my bedroom. My love for drawing and creating beautiful things has always been there and it progressed to wanting to become an artist as soon as I realised I could make art for a living.
Icons
My first contact with art was in one of my grandmothers’ houses. One of them was a seamstress, so when I’d go to grandma Antonia’s house, I would sew buttons. My grandmother from my father’s side was a teacher who also painted porcelain pieces. Avó Cremilde taught me how to draw beautiful flowers. I can lovingly say, that I am nothing but grateful to these beautiful and powerful women in my life. Sometimes I wonder if I would have become an artist if it were not for these defining moments with my grandmothers in my childhood. These are the roots of my passion for drawing and textiles. The two disciplines that are still the main focus of my artistic practice to this day.
Best Advice
Don’t have expectations, it will break your heart.
Catarina´s Love
… the golden hour.
Catarina´s Hate
… feeling stuck in a thought pattern.

 

 

Q & A – featuring MARIA SERGA
Born
1997, Idar-Oberstein/Germany, eventhough my place of birth is irrelevant for me, as I don´t have a connection to this place. What really shaped me was my village in Ukraine and Berlin.
The Spark
When my family and I moved to Berlin, I first had to learn the language and couldn’t express myself well in German. That’s why I was very quiet at school due to the language barrier and instead painted a lot there. Colors have always had a strong expressiveness for me and have been a loud outlet to let my thoughts out as I never wanted to be quiet. That shaped me a lot.
Icons
From the point of view of the paintings, it is Henri Rousseau. I am totally into naive painting, because I am very fascinated by the childlike, reduced elements that try to fit themselves into the big picture of the world. I like to use naive painting to create contrasts on topics such as the question of sexual urges, power and alienation from nature.
Best Advice
Doing what you think is right and not what is best.
Why did you become an artist
I like to drink champagne.
Marias Love
Humor
Marias Hate
Smalltalk

 

 

Q & A – featuring JONAS OTTO
Born
1996 in Berlin/Germany.
Base
I have always lived in Berlin. As a youngster in Westberlin
(Spandau) and later on in Eastberlin, til today.
The Best
Grabbing the chance once in a while to escape the fastliving pace of the city for a moment.
Icons
My interest in science goes back to Harald Lesch and his TV-Show alpha-Centauri. A sleepless week followed after watching his series during school. I had to watch all 200 episodes. Since then I am fascinated by all kinds of natural phenomenon. Luckily I can study these topics as a part of my philosophy degree.
Best Advice
Not every simple task acquires detailed self-reflection.
Because you deal philosophically with boredom …
Is it possible to do anything while doing nothing?
And please give a brief explanation.
Doing nothing claims not to be an activity, but it does require active self- abandonment. The real essence of doing nothing lies in letting the possibilities slip by unused – no longer worrying about something, even though the opportunity to do so is available at that moment. In that we no longer pass our time, but rather boredom determines the goings-on of our time.
Jonas´ Love
Procastrinate
Jonas´ Hate
Amazon

Time to meet the hosts: SHARON & MIKA 

Sharon Horodi (Sharon)
Born in Rehovot/Israel
1970
Mika Kammerer (Mika)
Born in Nuremberg/Germany
1963
Has there been a moment in your life that changed something (entirely)?
Sharon: I can recall several moments in my life that were significant and changed or turned the course of my life. One of the last moments was driving for the first time into the Prignitz and looking at the old train station area and understanding that this will be our next project. It was more intuition than a real plan. And this is what I love about those moments; they are glimpse of the future. 
Mika: Of course there were significant moments in my life, entirely life-changing – it’s so general & yet so special:
The birth of my children, because I understood, now it won’t be about myself for a quite long time.
I think the spontaneity with which we bought the old station that is now KuBa was in an unconscious way also influenced by the wish to leave something for them, something they can build on (if they wish so).
(Like Conor Oberst sings in the Bright Eyes Song “The first day of my life”:
“But I’d rather be working for a paycheck, than waiting to win the lottery”)
As you are hosting artists in a German village, away from a bustling city like Berlin, do you agree in following statement? The cure for loneliness is being alone? And why, or why not?
Sharon: I think people in general and artists for sure need to experience a state of being purely with themselves, to minimize outside distractions, to work with what they have and what is there and to slow the pace. Loneliness is a state of mind and therefore has not much to do with the amount of people around you.
I don’t know if being alone can cure loneliness but I know that loneliness can be overcome also when one is alone.
Mika: I think after all the cure for loneliness is learning to accept yourself, to get in sync with yourself and the world around you.
There are many ways, but no short cuts.  Out of a new experience, not as a  concept,  I can say now, to be alone in nature is definitely something that taught me a lot & after all tomorrow parties I think it is worth it, to be in a solitude & be with the seasons, learn the path of life we are all part of, take it as on offer.
Which are the three most important things in April 2021?
Sharon: The coming spring and the garden waking up from the winter sleep.
Enjoying the three wonderful young artists that are here with us and being there for them when they need us.
Read, write, draw, sit in the sun, go for walks…
Mika:

• the buds, the first blossoms & flowers, spring is coming, no matter what else is going on
• the green house we built, also as a symbol for the safe space we want to offer, where creativity has great conditions, and a community of fellow creators.
• Something personal, my coming out of the eggshell as a person that wants to be seen outside the binary gender perception

Best advice for your residents?
Sharon: Take your time, be alert but not stressed. Enjoy what you do. Be humble but know you are talented and worthy.
Mika: Try to be playful in your art, Let yourself go, embrace improvisation & don’t search for perfection, Listen to the trees, watch the trains pass by, breath, feel love(d).

Thanks for a wonderful afternoon!!!

Keep yourself updated about KuBa: KuBA – Kulturbahnhof