Bridges stand for the connection between two different poles. The name Brückenkunst is intended to express this intention to establish connection. The connection between two different banks, between art and life, between East and West, Asia and Europe, Top and bottom. It is generally accepted that art can possess magical abilities, so art can sometimes combine what is normally separate.
The art of Brückenkunst therefore stands for a very special spirit. A spirit that is open to the vastness, the open, the connection and not to the separating, the narrowing and exclusion. The bridge also stands for the ability to take and endure very different sides and perspectives.
How did you first learn about BrückenKunst?
In the year 2013 I was working in Berlin close to the restaurant Café Re. On my way to work I
passed by the cafe and noticed that an exhibition of paintings by a group of painters called
BrückenKunst was being given inside the cafe. Naturally I stopped to see what was going on.
The group had invited the general public to their exhibition and to a vernissage. Because around this time I was painting my own abstract paintings and organising art exhibitions, I was immediately interested in this group. I attended their exhibition opening. From this I got to know the artists and they invited me to work together with them. I happily accepted this invitation and I presented my work with them. From 2014 until 2020 I accompanied the group as a filmmaker.
What inspired you to create a documentary film about BrückenKunst?
While I became a member of the group as a painter and a filmmaker in 2013 – from the very
beginning it was obvious to me that I would accompany the group and document their work on
film. So, beginning in the year 2014 I made a short documentary film every year from my collection of film materials about the group´s exhibitions and festivals.
Did you really spend seven years filming every event?
I have been a member of the group since 2013, but I only started to accompany the group and film all of their events starting in 2014.
Was it a challenge in selecting the footage for your documentary films?
I mostly film spontaneously and instinctively. For this reason I try to capture with the camera as
best as I can the most exciting and the most interesting moments and record them using the best angles possible. It is my hope to shoot a documentary film that reflects the reality, the mood, and the actual current situation as it really is.
How is your experience when you attend these events?
It was always a lot of fun for me even though overall there was a complete lack of interest in our
work from the general public – this in spite of the fact that some newspapers reported on us and
even one television station broadcasted a TV reportage about us that was put on the air. For the
most part we got along well as artists with one another. Of course here and there we had some small disagreements. Nevertheless, with all the years of hard work we have never been really recognized by the society or the community around us. There has been no real, concrete recognition for any part of our artistic work. This acknowledgement simply doesn´t exist.
What do the artists think about your initiative to help recognize their work?
They knew that I was filming our exhibitions and events every year and that I was presenting these documentary films at film festivals around the world. For example some of these films were shown at the Short-Film Corner at the Filmfestival in Cannes. In the beginning we used to watch these films together when our group had meetings. Everybody was impressed. That was always great. But since 2020 I am no longer a member of the group BrückenKunst.
Do you consider your film documentary as an art form as well?
Of course every good film and every good book is art – that goes without question.
How long have you been making films?
Since 2006 I have been making documentary films. I shot a long documentary film about the city of Kraków (POL) in 2006. This film is called Krakow – Magic of a City. It was my first film. The film
received two film awards in 2008 and 2009. Among these prizes was a Palme D´Or from the
International Film Festival of Mexico.
How many film festivals have selected your documentary film about BrückenKunst?
Several international film festivals have so far shown this film around the world. It has also won a few film prizes – but I am unsure of the exact number of film awards that it has been awarded.
Will you continue to film future BrückenKunst events?
As I said, since 2020 I am not a member anymore of the group BrückenKunst and that is why I have not accompanied them as a documentary filmmaker. Notwithstanding, it would make me very happy if in the future I would be able to accompany the group once again as a filmmaker and as a painter.