12 Questions: Ute Bertog
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1. What are 1-3 books that have influenced your life? What are you reading or watching right now?
I feel myself shying away from answering because there are just so many great books which have become a part of me over time. It’s so hard to choose. One book that comes to mind from recent times is ‘What you can see from here’ by Mariana Leky. A friend of mine lend it to me some time ago and I absolutely loved it. It touches on feelings of love and loss and the age-old question of how to be in the world. I read it in its original German and it was wonderful to delve into this utterly charming, whimsical world. It almost reads like a modern yet timeless fairytale. Another book I absolutely loved was Circe by Madeline Miller. Thanks to her I have been reading much more of these old mythical stories. There is so much humanity in them.
As for films or series I do love me a good British series, crime or any other category. I just love their wit and theatrics. But honestly, I listen to more podcasts than I do watch films. On Being is a constant source of inspiration.
2. What are you currently working on? Are you able to create during the pandemic?
Earlier this summer I was preparing for my show at Rosalux Gallery in Minneapolis. As we all know, Covid19 has put a stop to it and the show like so many others is postponed for the unforeseeable future. So right now, I am giving myself somewhat of a break. Focus is very hard to come by currently, not only with the pandemic going on but also with all recent killings and unrest starting with the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which happened just a few miles from us.
Typically, summer is a much less intense studio time anyway since I just want to soak up as much of the season as possible. Summer is too short here in Minnesota. And really, it’s unbearably hot in my studio anyway since I don’t have AC in there, so I make the best of it. Spending a lot of time in nature, gardening, reading, catching up with family, dreaming of where I will travel when traveling is safe again. I do feel the pull of the studio though.
For Rosalux Gallery we started having these regular online shows every six weeks and it’s been quite refreshing to think outside the box for those. They are themed, which I usually don’t do with my own work, so it gives me another way to approach my work and my process. There have been three shows by now with the forth in the works and they can all be viewed on the gallery’s website (www.rosaluxgallery.com).
3. How has failure set you up for later success? What was your favorite failure?
I usually try not to think in terms of failure. I want to see it as just one step of a bigger development, as your question already implies. It’s a good thing to cast a wider net and let time do its thing. But now that I am thinking about it, the favorite ‘failures’ are the ones that happen while painting, because they typically lead me out of an impasse to other and new solutions. I even invite failure in that I push a painting a wee bit too far, so that all I can do is bring it back from the brink. In that moment I don’t second-guess myself anymore since there is nothing to lose. It clarifies and gives me razor-sharp focus.
4. What is your most unusual habit?
I do a lot of detouring to finally get to the stuff I actually want to achieve or work on. It’s nerve wrecking, but I do get a lot of stuff done that way. And I do pick up a lot of other experiences along the way that otherwise I wouldn’t get. It’s just not as straight-forward.
5. If you could have any painter, living or dead paint your portrait who would it be and why?
Tough question since I don’t even like being photographed. I always admire portraits by Alberto Giacometti. They are not as ubiquitous in museums, so every single time I see one I am again touched by them. They show such a deep probing interest in humanity. The same is true for Frank Auerbach. It’s definitely not about being portrayed in a favorable way, but I do enjoy that the portraits invite and reward sustained looking from the viewer.