Inga de Martin

Inga de Martin's artistic exploration extends beyond the conventional bounds of reality, inviting viewers into an imaginative realm where the everyday becomes a springboard for profound creativity. Using shellac ink on natural linen, Inga intricately explores porosity and transparency, resulting in a fresco-like patina that imparts a distinct tone to her recent works. Her canvases, interpreted as porous spaces filtering between self and reality, transcend mere surfaces to embody a dynamic interplay between the tangible and the metaphysical. In the quest for permanence within the transient nature of existence, Inga's painting process lays bare the emergence of forms and colors, mirroring life's ephemeral and unpredictable qualities. Her art becomes a journey of self-discovery, embracing the unknown in each new work and reflecting the unpredictable twists of life.  Preferring to circumvent prefabricated alternatives, Inga's abstractions are deliberate products of metaphysical thinking. The deliberate ambiguity and abstraction in her work are not just aesthetic choices but intentional invitations for viewers to engage in a phenomenological experience—a direct and unmediated encounter with the artwork that goes beyond preconceived notions. Beyond the canvas, Inga's artistic philosophy intertwines with personal development. Painting becomes a saving grace, a medium for her spirit to flourish, and a source of beauty in life. Each new work marks a beginning, an exploration into the unknown, serving as a means for self-discovery and spiritual fulfillment. Inga de Martin's art encapsulates the fluidity of life, where the act of creation mirrors the dynamic interplay between self-discovery and the unknown. Rich in metaphysical undertones, her paintings extend an invitation to transcend the tangible, immersing viewers in a timeless visual dialogue intimately connected to the human experience.

Artsin Square Editorial Team

Inga de Martin's art encapsulates the fluidity of life, where the act of creation mirrors the dynamic interplay between self-discovery and the unknown

Interview With:

Hi Inga, tell us about your background. How and when did you first start to paint?

I paint because it’s something my spirit really needs. It’s been a saving grace to find beauty in life and contemplate on my natural environment. I grew up in a tumultuous family situation. My mother and father had their baggage, but no one worked it out. For me, family is a great source of pain and misunderstanding. As a young person I was introverted and observant and thus developed a real passion for painting. And later, while I was studying fashion design, I also began to study painting on the side. I wanted to grow beyond technical skills. For me, creative expression was like a gateway and a tool at the same time. However, it took a few years before I felt that my work was developing a certain independence and maturity and increasingly emerged from within me. Like a river finding its way, I find that painting is the one path that I must follow.

How do you begin to work? What is your process like?

The process of painting is accompanied by a wordless, inner dialog and can be seen as intuitive work. As soon as I immerse myself in this process, I try to empty myself. I describe it as an immersion into not-knowing. The process is vague. I intuitively choose a color to start with. I paint a small area that expands and to which I react. My work used to be much more constructed and obviously more narrative. Today, I give space to abstract forms. The painting develops a life of its own anyway. When a piece is finished, I wonder what it may indicate. I then quickly get a feeling for the work myself.The atmosphere that each work starts to reflect emerges during the process of painting. I then begin to relate to this mood. It’s woven into the process itself and cannot be explained in words. It is important to me to see how my way of painting changes with the cycles of life. It is as if I am drifting through the veil of „consumed" works while painting and approach an undisguised new one.

 How do you navigate the intersection between the metaphysical and the tangible in your abstract figurative works?

I am interested in the mystical dimension of life experience. I am driven by the need for a language that helps to sense and articulate the "space between everything". Curiosity about the intangible layers of life is an indispensable part of my world.  Questions of being and meaning have always interested me, as have the general phenomena of being human that I perceive and observe myself. I am fascinated by paradoxes and other philosophical principles and overarching concepts that incorporate cosmic connections. When I came across the ancient spiritual wisdom of non-duality as expressed in the practice of Kashmir Shivaism through my meditation practice a few years ago, I found interesting theories on metaphysical questions that also define my own being. Much remains hidden and incomprehensible to our human minds. I think we are all enigmas.

You mention that each painting is like a memory, but not rooted in a specific moment. Could you elaborate on how you capture and convey emotions and ideas in your work without anchoring them to a particular time or event?

I use the method of painting to depict subjective experiences. It is my way of engaging with the world. It usually happens in the middle of the process of a work that a certain sensation or perception envelops me that connects me to this painting forever. Something familiar. Like the certainty of a dream that you had and that you can either only vaguely remember or not remember at all, but which is stored in your unconscious and starts resonating within you.

You express a desire for the ambiguity and abstraction in your work to foster a phenomenological state for the viewer. How do you envision viewers engaging with and interpreting your art, and what kind of experience do you hope they will have when confronted with your paintings?

The viewer is invited to enter this visual space on the backdrop of their own experiences and world view and to resonate with the work through that lens.

Every interpretation holds a truth. A viewer recently told me her very own view of my last paintings. This intersection opened a new perspective on my work, which I found very enriching. I was glad she was sharing it with me.

 In your art statement, you describe your paintings as products of metaphysical thinking. How do you conceptualize and incorporate metaphysical elements into your practice, and how do these elements manifest in the visual language of your paintings?

For me, it's all a question of awareness. There are various techniques for self-exploration. Whenever I understand something about myself, I can internalize it and at the same time understand something about larger contexts. My world view is a constantly changing entity. My identifications are entirely subjective thought forms that inevitably flow into my artistic work. Carl G. Jung said: Freedom only extends as far as our consciousness. This thought alone inspires me. As surely as gravity keeps our feet on the ground, I understand life to mean that our soul must be allowed to go to dark places, to wander into the unknown, to fall in love with shadows, to hum mysterious songs, to bump into dangers, to commune with the darkness so that we can gradually discover the contours of our being.

Can you elaborate on your process of responding to each canvas with "intention and acceptance"? How does this approach extend beyond painting and influence other aspects of your life?

In yoga, I have learned that there are karmic patterns within us that need to be acted out, creative urges that need to be expressed. And that this is what the journey of the soul demands - that we become supple instruments for our own unfolding.

For me, this is an expression of passion that I want to use in all areas of my life.

Can I accept how my life is, how it reveals itself, without resisting it? Painting is initiating. Painting needs this energy of passion. It can come gently. Without a lot of fuss but also be imbued with it entirely.

HERMIONE, ink on canvas, 100X100 CM, 2023

How has the city you live and work in influenced you and the art you create?

I can quickly sense whether a place supports my energy or weakens and paralyzes it. For me, a refuge in a lively environment is an interesting contrast that invigorates my work. I can be in my energy and use the interplay of calm and liveliness to my advantage. Hamburg is a city that supports my energy. There would certainly be many comparable places. However, there are also many places where I can literally feel my energy being drained. I don't expect an environment to inspire me, rather it is important to me that it keeps my spirit alive and supports my spirit.

Describe a real-life situation that inspired you.

I am a contradictory person. Opposites live inside me. Crises and hopeless situations have pushed me to my limits and exhausted me to no end, while at the same time amplifying resilience. The last year challenged me a lot and at the same time drove me forward. These qualities are reflected in my work over the past year. I was, for example, ready to work on a larger formats.

Everything that happens to me automatically points to its opposite pole within me, which I seek out. This experience flows unconsciously into my artistic work. It can be the ink that sometimes appears strong or transparent, wafting forms that weave across the painting surface and in turn give hold to a face. Just as a mutual reflection.

Instagram: Inga de martin