{"id":33380,"date":"2022-03-28T14:37:34","date_gmt":"2022-03-28T14:37:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rothkomuseum.com\/?page_id=33380"},"modified":"2022-03-28T14:51:25","modified_gmt":"2022-03-28T14:51:25","slug":"hallway-talks-with-sandra-strele-latvia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rothkomuseum.com\/en\/museum\/lets-talk-art\/hallway-talks-with-sandra-strele-latvia\/","title":{"rendered":"Hallway talks with Sandra Str\u0113le (Latvia)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Rothko Centre: You have an impressive track record for such a young artist \u2013 exhibitions, residencies, awards\u2026 You\u2019re totally focused on art, is that right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sandra Strele: Yes, one way or another, it\u2019s my primary occupation. I also teach painting at school, but not much, two days a week. The rest of my time goes entirely to painting \u2013 I start in the morning and work all day until evening.<\/p>\n

RC: Is your family artistic? Does anyone paint?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: No, we have no artists in the family. But my folks have always supported me. That said, they never thought it could become my livelihood. That I could choose it as a profession. In fact, I went to the R\u012bga State Gymnasium No. 1, and they really focus on mathematics. But somewhere around year 10, I decided I wanted to go to the Art Academy of Latvia.<\/p>\n

RC: And how about now? Does math help?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: You know, it actually does! Math helps me structure my art. It\u2019s no secret that artists tend to be disorganised. But math helps me keep the deadlines. So the school gave me priceless experience and skills, I mean the ability to structure and organise my work.<\/p>\n

RC: Do you switch between art and other things? Or is creativity both business and pleasure?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: Of course, painting is work and also something I simply enjoy doing. I can work without taking days off. Especially before exhibitions. But if we\u2019re talking what I do besides studio work, I\u2019d say swimming. I love it. Maybe that\u2019s why I\u2019ve painted swimming pools (laughs).<\/p>\n

RC: How <\/strong>do <\/strong>you <\/strong>make <\/strong>lists <\/strong>of <\/strong>your <\/strong>upcoming <\/strong>exhibitions <\/strong>and <\/strong>symposia? <\/strong>Have you already reached the point where you can be selective?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: Yes, I\u2019m there now. At this point, I simply don\u2019t have enough time for everything. So I have to set my priorities. Now I\u2019m focusing on solo exhibitions. I prefer to work on my own and do fewer group projects. In my solo shows, I work from the dimensions of the space. That\u2019s an important caveat because I paint on a large scale.<\/p>\n

RC: Pair work always means compromise and, in a sense, fear of losing oneself. Can you comment on your cooperation in the Mycelia project now on show at the Rothko Centre<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: Yes, pair work is an exciting experience, but I prefer going solo. Really successful cooperations, when both artists have done their best, with an almost perfect result for both, are extremely rare.<\/p>\n

RC: What\u2019s your take on cooperation with Penelope Richardson, your partner in Mycelia?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: We\u2019re continuing an earlier partnrship. That\u2019s our second time working together. Penelope had an idea about stories. Taking the story format. That\u2019s our common theme. I don\u2019t mean one specific story but storytelling as an idea. And my theme is a series. Which leads to my previous work.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

RC: How did you come to the large format?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: When I took the prep course for the Academy, they had a strict format \u2013 60 by 80 centimetres. Later, at the Academy, I felt I wanted something else. I tried 1 by 1 metres, and it seemed huge! I loved it! With time, the paintings grew even larger (laughs).<\/p>\n

RC: What\u2019s good about large-scale painting?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: With large formats, I experience myself in painting on a more physical, visceral level. There\u2019s a whole different range of motion and gesture. As to the viewer\u2026 (gets pensive). I guess we measure everything from ourselves, taking ourselves as the reference. And it\u2019s nice when a painting is larger than you. Better still if it\u2019s a whole roomful of pictures. I guess my favourite formats are large and small. No mediums.<\/p>\n

RC: How do you find themes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: I love stories. I have lots of them. They seem to be coming in sequence. I continue a series until I feel it\u2019s time to move on. One or two years tops.<\/p>\n

RC: Where do you find your images? What nourishes you to keep producing your fantasy stories?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: I watch real life and the people around me. I think we all soak up impressions and work from that. And I\u2019ve always liked everyday life. It can be easily transformed into fantasy (smiles).<\/p>\n

RC: <\/strong>Can <\/strong>you <\/strong>call <\/strong>yourself <\/strong>an <\/strong>experimenter?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: Yes, I\u2019m all for experiments. I\u2019m faithful to the painting medium. But I love mixing it with other media that add to its impact. I study the theory behind this in my PhD. Expanded painting is a new term in art theory. It\u2019s not painting in the habitual sense. Take artist Ian Burn and his \u201cMirror Piece\u201d. It\u2019s propped up against the wall, and the viewer is reflected in the mirrors. In a sense, it can also be called painting because it develops an image. There is surface and colour, the essence of painting.<\/p>\n

RC: How did you come to expanded art? What sparked your interest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: When I was studying for my MFA, our group came to an interesting lecture by an Italian design theorist at the Latvian National Museum of Art. And he was speaking about expanded art. It was so innovative! We got hooked. Australian art theorist Mark Titmarsh has published a book on this concept.<\/p>\n

RC: Your large canvasses must demand lots of space. Where do you work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: I have a classical sized studio in my apartment in R\u012bga and another space for storage that a friend helped me organise so I could store and easily find my work. That\u2019s two creative spaces. And, since my paintings often consist of multiple parts, any one piece isn\u2019t actually very large. You can easily get it through the door.<\/p>\n

RC: Describe your creative rhythm.<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: I work by day, sometimes ten to twelve hours. Not always that long. But I try to paint every day. My optimum is six hours a day. Normally, I don\u2019t work nights, only when my studies demand it.<\/p>\n

RC: Do you have moments when things aren\u2019t working, when you\u2019re stuck and can\u2019t finish a painting? Is it easy for you to let go without trying to \u201cpush it\u201d to the end? <\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: It depends. But I guess I\u2019m one of those who find it easy to let go and start something new. I usually try again. On the same topic.<\/p>\n

RC: I\u2019m sure you have heard critical comments when someone doesn\u2019t like your work or certain things about it. Do you accept criticism?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: If it\u2019s constructive, why not?<\/p>\n

RC: How do you define \u2018constructive\u2019? How do you tell it\u2019s constructive? Perhaps someone\u2019s just had a bad day and is not in the mood.<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: You feel it. When people know what they\u2019re talking about. When they are an authority and an expert.<\/p>\n

RC: The first person you show your work to.<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: That would be family (smiles).<\/p>\n

RC: What\u2019s your most memorable creative success?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: I guess the first one was at the Academy, in my third year. I got a scholarship from the Teterev Foundation. Maybe because it was my first recognition and the first step forward. When you know you\u2019ve given three years to studies and see it was worth it. That your work matters and gets appreciated. It\u2019s such a motivation to keep going.<\/p>\n

RC: <\/strong>Do <\/strong>you <\/strong>remember <\/strong>how <\/strong>you <\/strong>felt?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: Of course, I was happy. But the main thing about awards is that they open up new perspectives and give you a push to keep going. They lead to new offers, new financial opportunities.<\/p>\n

RC: What\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: In summer, I\u2019m having a solo show in Berlin. On a smaller scale due to the size of the room. I\u2019m doing a new series called \u201cThe Exhibitions That Didn\u2019t Happen\u201d.<\/p>\n

RC: Have you experienced being torn between many topics, wanting many things at once? How do you prioritise?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: I can afford to mix them all together! After all, my concept is fairy tales, stories and fantasy.<\/p>\n

RC: <\/strong>That\u2019s clever.<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: It is, and very handy (laughs).<\/p>\n

RC: Do you have any paintings that no one has seen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: I do. But very few. These were painted for specific exhibitions but, one way or another, didn\u2019t make the final cut.<\/p>\n

RC: And what about paintings you\u2019re not entirely satisfied with but haven\u2019t got rid of for whatever reason?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: One or two (laughs).<\/p>\n

RC: And <\/strong>the <\/strong>last <\/strong>question: do you have any triggers, maybe a motto or a ritual that keeps you going?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SS: That\u2019s sleep (laughs). If I\u2019m working and things get bumpy, I go to sleep. Sleep puts everything into place. Literally, 20 minutes will settle my mind. I\u2019ve no trouble falling asleep. That comes easy (laughs).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rothko Centre: You have an impressive track record for such a young artist \u2013 exhibitions, residencies, awards\u2026 You\u2019re totally focused on art, is that right? Sandra Strele: Yes, one way or another, it\u2019s my primary occupation. I also teach painting at school, but not much, two days a week. The rest of my time goes … <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":33375,"parent":32825,"menu_order":99,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-33380","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nHallway talks with Sandra Str\u0113le (Latvia) - page 33380<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"page 33380\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rothkomuseum.com\/en\/museum\/lets-talk-art\/hallway-talks-with-sandra-strele-latvia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hallway talks with Sandra Str\u0113le (Latvia)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rothko Centre: You have an 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