From September to November 2021, artists Julia Boros of Port Willunga, South Australia and Annekatrin Lemke of Erfurt, Germany engaged in a remote conversation through the exchange of ideas, texts and images about their lives and professional practice. At the core of their conversation were two studio visits via video call which the artists used to introduce each other to their work and talk about their processes.
The documentation of these remote exchanges is made up of individual snapshots of the artists’ lives and fragments of their discussions.
The distance between Erfurt and Port Willunga is 15,508 km. Digital technology seemingly shrinks this distance and makes face to face conversations and studio visits possible. Other barriers remain: the artists live in different time zones (making it difficult to schedule calls) and different hemispheres, and while the days were getting shorter and colder in Erfurt, spring turned into summer in southern Australia.
Other questions centered around language. Talking about art and process. Speaking about one's work in a foreign language. Trying to understand each other’s work only seen on screens.
The work of Julia Boros is very sensual to me - it is very soft and clear at the same time and the textile artworks look very lightweight, but could also be heavy - especially the large-format pieces. The works appear in organic forms and clear colours, often black or white and sometimes even shiny and translucent. They imply connection, a circle without beginning and end, repetition and rest, but also flexibility and motion. Either made of organic and soft or artificial and smooth materials, the art of Julia Boros opens up a space to contemplate tranquility and movement. Annekatrin Lemke
Hidden Treasure. Anne’s relief works are intriguing, and they simultaneously invite you to look at their intricate details and conceal their entrance. Appearing to be both a portal and mystery secret lock mechanism. The work implies movement; everything is in perfect alignment. The carving of wood and layered colours. At any moment, a key will begin a sequence of unlocking the puzzle. These tantalising works provide private spaces of contemplation and appear beguilingly simple. Made with restraint and purpose. Technical precision communicates softness and architectural forms. A play of opposites in both outcome and technique. I am reminded of folded textiles, sundials and treasure maps. Julia Boros, 11 October 2021, Erfurt & Port Willunga
Process description. I was asked this morning how I stay motivated to make my work. I have been thinking a lot about this question and how to write about my process for Remote Conversations. I replied that I would feel sick if I didn’t do my work. The comment to that was: it’s like an addiction then. One of my mentors has a saying for when you feel a lack of motivation or blocked. Be bothered! If that doesn’t work, try something else. If that doesn’t work, have a cup of tea. If that doesn’t work, have a nap. This year I have been having lots of naps. Not because I can’t be bothered but because I need to replenish the well first. I was in between studios temporarily, and I took a pause for that too. By the time I began Remote Conversations with Anne and Conni, I was disconnected from my practice. And I was ok with that. But also feeling a bit stuck. An unexpected outcome of the zoom studio visits was that I talked about my work and heard myself say what I needed to do next. It is a beneficial and unexpected way of interacting and relating to another artist’s practice. And as a result, I saw more my practice more clearly. My process is fluid, instinctual and based on critical thinking. I respond to materials and limitations and am inspired and uninspired by my work. It takes me to deep places of thought and humour. More recently, I have come to think of the process as more undoing. Maybe it is more about how the materials manipulate me into making. I’m not sure that I agree totally with the addiction definition, but it is a way of being that makes sense to me. Julia Boros, 31 Dec. 21
South Australian visual artist Julia Boros incorporates the creation of site responsive installation and sculpture. Her art practice considers textile’s affinity to the human condition with the intention to communicate ideas about physical and psychological experience. Using her knowledge of traditional and experimental printing and production methods, Boros explores textile manipulation. A background in theatre and film influences the performative aspects of her process.
As a sculptor, I explore the relationships between surface, color, form, structure and light. Working mainly with wood, but also steel and paper, I create reliefs, installations, prints and collages. My works focus on form, surface and color and how they interact with each other - on different planes and under the influence of light, structure and the use of graphic elements.