Getting To Know Simon Sieradzki
Magazine 43
Simon Sieradzki is an Australian-born painter with British/Polish ancestry based in Leipzig, Germany. Simon paints oil on canvas from observation, responding to changing shifts between home, the studio environment and things brought in from the world outside. That is where we find stillness to become movement and noise to become silence. The artworks allow an insight into experiences with changing patterns, a sense of place and being in-between.
During the last ten months, while moving overseas to Germany from Australia during the covid pandemic, Simon moved between cities, homes, and studios several times. During these times of uncertainty in his life and the world generally, he has found inspiration in the transitions that occurred. Simon became a researcher on the 'sense of space'. He widened his artistic practice into installation and performance while being fully committed to his profession and his way of seeing the world as a rhythmic painter working from observation. The series of paintings he made during Autumn in Germany show drying flowers as a motif, together with the space of the room itself, the eastern German factory architecture, paper planes, and Janne as a sitter. Through the work, he questions; how does rhythm function in paintings? How does rhythm become manifest in the materiality of paint? And as such, how may rhythm enable aesthetic experience?
What does your work aim to say?
As a viewer of artworks and as an artist, I'm interested in aesthetic experience. I don’t take a literary approach. I hope that if the work reveals something, it's the artwork itself doing it. For this, there needs to be some openness. I think it comes from the work and unfolds that way, not from a preconceived message I have to tell. Of course, I have a story, and so does the work, but it's part of a way into the work and not the whole purpose of it. When working, I try to work intuitively; I'm focused on experiences given by feelings and senses rather than communicating a particular message. I hope that by expressing something artistically and responding to something, the artwork can provide a positive experience and move someone; they may see something differently afterwards or give an uplifting experience that stays with people.
Has the constant moving help you with your creativity?
I moved a lot as a child, between the US, Australia, Hawaii and Guam. Also, in the last few years, between Europe and Australia. Moving has shaped who I am; to what extent, I'm not sure, but it gave me an interest in other places and cultures, and I do believe this helps me creatively. The moving that I had to do during the last year has helped me immensely. I don't think it's ideal. I mean, having stability and security is necessary for creativity and personal growth and some of this is sacrificed by moving around a lot, but the benefits of change and travel can be very rewarding. It's sometimes necessary for such change to happen, but frightening at times. When it's not your choice entirely, or to your original plan at least, it can be daunting, and the risk for your creative practice or health can be high.
I left Australia several times to visit Germany and Europe for relatively short periods in the past because the quality of art history and concentration of this kind of culture is unique to this part of the world. Australia can feel, for me, as an artist especially, very isolated from this. I find artists here can get stuck in this kind of parochial existence which limits their development artistically.
I wanted to physically experience and see the international art world's culture. I felt drawn to this particular part of the world. One reason or result of this is that whenever I came here, my art practice seemed to be lifted so much. I noticed that my work improved during each visit, whereas for times in Perth, I felt a bit stuck for whatever reason.
However, though I considered moving to Germany at some point, I didn't initially intend to stay so long. My residency in Aschersleben was planned before the covid pandemic and postponed until last year. I couldn't get a travel exemption to leave Australia during the first year of the pandemic. The Australian Government was strict about keeping the border closed, and international travel wasn't allowed until I got the exemption the following year. I had planned to go to Germany for the summer for three months and return in September last year. Germany last Summer was not in lockdown and was still considered a low-risk area, but there were ongoing problems with Australia's Hotel Quarantine system. After the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics finished in September 2021, the Australian Government stopped all commercial flights from entering Australia indefinitely until they decided on another solution.
As a result, my flight back to Australia from Germany was cancelled a week before I was meant to return. I had to change plans as it was impossible for me to return. Rather than see this as a bad situation that I was stuck in, I looked for opportunities and was fortunate to have some friends in Leipzig who helped me out. I was able to get a studio at PK and shared a house with artist Inga Kerber. I met Janne Steinhardt at an art opening last September, and we later started working together on art projects. 10 months later I returned to Perth together with Janne for a visit and for our first duo show in Australia, we’ll be back in Germany again in Autumn. This whole experience gave me a different perspective on life, and I see travel and places differently. I have a new appreciation for what I have and things in the world, which I think shows in my recent work.
As an artist, what would you do to make an impact in the art world?
I think that the possible audience for artworks extends into the future. I don't consider what is happening now in terms of fashions and trends as the end all be all for artworks, but I would like to make artworks that contribute to the history of art in some significant way. In this way, the work of art may continue long after it was created and exhibited for the first time. But it's impossible to predict what significance one's work may have in the future. I hope to keep working as much and as long as possible to make a significant body of work. I'm not concerned with fitting in or changing the world as much as I am with doing good work. I think the existence of artwork enables positive change in the world. The only way to improve for me, to make artwork, is by putting the work into it. Hopefully, over time, the work evolves and improves. The perceived significance of trends and fashions change, and commercial interests can be distracting, so I try to stay true to where the work leads me and look to artworks I am drawn to and moved by as a measure of what works and what doesn't.
How is your work different from others?
Most of the time, I begin by painting or drawing something from observation. The subjects for the artworks are things I see and experience directly from wherever I am. So it starts rather subjectively, then goes from there. I suppose this is what makes the work different from others. Also, I don't want to put down something derived from a formula or something overly stylistic. I mean, I try to avoid applying a collective pre-established style. I feel, for artworks, style is something that should be unique to the individual, one that evolves over a lifelong process of working. Though I'm not there yet, I hope I'm on my way.
UPCOMING:
4 July-1 August with Janne Steinhardt
Seasonal Brewery Co, Maylands, Western Australia
Later in 2022 with Janne Steinhardt
Fairy Fountain showing at Haus der Statistic in Berlin
If you are an artist and looking into doing your next residency, check out:
Pilotenkueche International Art Program
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