Anna Bu Kliewer was featured in Perk magazine recently, both with some of her collages, which you can see here, and in a brief interview. Perk is a Tokyo-based street fashion magazine, which also looks into art, music and anything, or anyone, else that catches its eye. You can see Perk for yourself at https://perk-mag.com
And here’s a translated version of her interview:
Why did you become an artist and what’s your background?
I’ve had an interest in art since I was about seven years old, started painting with oils when I was nine, took drawing classes at 10. As a teenager I did a bit of graffiti. My parents were very supportive in my interest in art.
I was introduced to collage at 17 in high school by my art teacher. After this I always used collage in my creative process, whether it was for videos, painting or installations.
I studied Fine Art in Vancouver, Canada and London, UK.
I became an artist because I love being creative, there is an inner drive to create. I am lucky to be able to make a living of it.
How did you establish your style? Is there something that you cannot compromise for your artwork?
It developed over time. The more tools, like cut out knifes, special scissors and glue I got, the more I was able to experiment.
I cannot compromise a full digital artwork, there needs to be actual paper involved that I found or cut out. At a later stage, the paper goes into a scanner, but I need to feel the paper. The action of moving pieces around with my hands or the ‘hunt’ to find the right image in a magazine is important to me.
What is the first step to creating your artwork?
I usually flip through books and magazines as well as through my archives of thousands of little cut out pieces. It is a playful and intuitive process.
How do you get inspiration? Are you ever inspired by the fashion industry?
I get confused by looking at other people’s work, unless it is an abstract painting, which inspires me with its colours. I also read a lot of books, so stories inspire me. They are words, so my mind can then try to create a visual for the story.
I definitely get inspired by the fashion industry as a lot of my images come out of fashion magazines. My home is full of magazines which I look at when I need ideas.
It can be that I get inspired by the shape of a piece of clothing, at other times it is the scene or mood in a fashion editorial.
Do you have anyone who you admire the most?
I admire creative women. Writers, designers, painters, chefs, directors who share their vision, are confident in their femininity and who keep on going even if they are turned down. Anyone with a real passion to create. And there are great men out there, too.
Do you have any challenges in mind as your next step?
I would love to create larger collages. Artworks that are on a big canvas, maybe experimenting with adding paint to them.
Another challenge for me, at the moment, is to make abstract artworks.