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Model Giesinger: Painting to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life
Photo:
Valentin Waibel / ARD Kultur / obs
"The uglier, the better"
Sebastian Hotz, known as El Hotzo, 28, is a satirist, writer and podcast producer. He found his balance in painting with Window Color paints.
»Many people probably only know Window Color from their kindergarten days. That's how I felt too - until a friend of mine started painting with it during the pandemic. Probably for fun, because his works looked terrible. That's exactly what caught me straight away: window color pictures are probably one of the stupidest art forms.
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Bofrost logo on Hotz' refrigerator: The fact that colors run into each other is part of it
Photo:
Private
I also needed something to do during the pandemic. So I ordered an extensive window color set and tried to paint the ugly pictures possible using the bright, sticky colors. To this day, I set aside time about twice a month to do just that. Most of the time I sit at my living room table and watch the Champions League.
As a rule, I print out some motifs and trace them. I once painted the Bofrost logo, it's still stuck to my fridge today. But I also like detailed templates because finer lines are impossible to paint with Window Color. The colors run into each other and the result usually looks completely different than the original image. I find that pretty funny. The other day I used a Pokémon card as a motif, but it went horribly wrong. But that's exactly what I'm all about with Window Color: the uglier, the better.
Nobody would be able to distinguish whether a Window Color picture was painted by an eight-year-old or a 28-year-old. You stay in the beginner stage forever, there are no sophisticated techniques. But that's exactly what takes the pressure off. For me, painting with Window Colors is a pleasant escape from stressful everyday life, it even has something meditative.
You have to be very careful and concentrated, not applying too much or too little pressure so that the paint is squeezed evenly out of the tube. For me, that's exactly me-time: time when I'm not looking at a display or typing on a keyboard. It's good for me to do something crafty sometimes - even if it's something undemanding.
A great side effect: Window Color pictures make a good gift. They are fun and homemade. Although I doubt that any of my friends were ever seriously happy about it. But the pictures are definitely a good joke.«
»Painting should be my personal protective space«
Stefanie Giesinger, 27, works as a model and lives in Berlin. As a child, painting was her great passion - a passion that she rediscovered during the pandemic.
»My everyday working life is very hectic; I am constantly surrounded by people at photo shoots and fashion events. All the impressions often still bother me when I come home in the evening. It used to be overwhelming for me to be home alone after such eventful days. I have now found a way to process my thoughts and feelings through painting. My pictures are like a dream world that I can let myself fall into, far away from reality.
Art was my favorite subject at school. In the years that followed, however, I stopped painting. Then the pandemic came and I suddenly had time. So I ordered an easel, a canvas and paints and started painting things from my everyday life: the sky, fruit, plants.
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Easel and paintings in Giesinger's apartment: colors are the focus
Photo:
Private
Nowadays I no longer paint motifs, but rather let my creativity run wild. When I start a picture, I often don't know what will become of it. This creates abstract shapes, but sometimes more realistic things, such as a portrait of a woman from my imagination. I prefer to use acrylic paint because you can still move it on the canvas and this creates beautiful structures.
In general, the colors are the focus. They have a special effect on me, which is why my apartment is very colorful. When I paint, applying the paint is a symbol of letting go for me. When I paint, I am completely focused and forget everything around me. I usually only use three colors, such as white, orange and red, from which I mix different shades. If I mix the colors directly on the canvas, you can see how the color changes.
I love getting up on a Sunday, putting on some Frank Ocean music, and getting to the easel before I even look at my phone. However, because of my job, I travel a lot, so there isn't always enough time. I was in New York for about a month during fashion week. I missed painting there so much that I bought a canvas and paints.
It's important to me that painting is just about me. I don't care what others think or whether they find my art beautiful. Painting should be my personal protective space. For me, a picture is perfect when it triggers a positive feeling in me. If it doesn’t, I’ll paint over it and start again.”
»When I watch football I can forget myself«
Langston Uibel, 26, plays in series (“How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)”), films (“Red Sky”) and at the Vienna Burgtheater. The best place for him to switch off is in the Hertha BSC stadium.
»I watch every Hertha BSC home game in the stadium - assuming I'm in Berlin and not at the Burgtheater in Vienna or on a film shoot. Most of the time I go alone and always sit in the same place. Not in the east curve, where people stand and sing for 90 minutes, but in the main stand. Sometimes I get into conversations with other fans, but that's not what I'm looking for. In everyday life I am constantly surrounded by people, at work and privately. I find peace in the stadium - even if I sometimes shout.
When I was eight years old, I moved with my family from London to Berlin's Westend. Shortly afterwards I went to a Hertha game for the first time on a school trip. From then on I was a fan. I used to play myself, up until the C-youth level. But I wasn't particularly talented.
At first I found just watching it boring. But the older I get, the more interested I am in it. I read articles about the clubs, the coaches and the players, look at summaries, follow what people on X write about the games.
Football gives my week structure, I like that. No matter whether I'm filming or not, whether I'm in Vienna or Berlin, I know: There's a Hertha game at the weekend and I'll watch it. If I can't go to the stadium, I'll watch the stream if I have to, even in the locker room between my performances. If the league is on break, I'm missing something.
What often bothers me about my job is that I focus so much on myself: on the roles I play, on my career in general. When I watch football, I can let it all go, concentrate 100 percent on the game and forget about myself for a while.
It's a bit crazy how much it affects my mood whether Hertha wins or loses. Or descends. Most of the time, disappointment only lasts for a short time. As a fan, I'm an optimist, not a realist. Before every game, I assume that my team will win - even if it's against Bayern."
“Through my volunteer work, I experience things that I would otherwise miss.”
Musician and actress Alli Neumann, 28, lives in a village on the Danish border and recently also in Berlin. In her free time, she sings in a retirement home and distributes food to homeless people.
»In my everyday work I often deal with abstract topics: emotional worlds, identity, social norms. My volunteer positions, on the other hand, are very realistic and meaningful; it's about humanity instead of efficiency. This balance is very good for me personally, but above all I want to help other people with my commitment.
Since 2020, I have been an ambassador for the Global Partnership for Education, an organization that promotes education around the world. Depending on the political situation, I help organize demonstrations, for example in solidarity with Ukraine or against a shift to the right in Germany. And I deal a lot with the issue of homelessness. Especially during the pandemic, I tried to help, I worked on a petition to support homeless people and distributed food. If I still have time left, I like to walk to the retirement home in my village and sing songs from the 1950s to the people there - I used to do that as a child.
I never do all of this at the same time, but instead look at where my help is most urgently needed. I can now rely on a large network of volunteers. I plan around two days a week for everything, and I'm happy to take the time. The fact that I can afford all of this financially is a great privilege. Because time is of course also money.
Through my volunteer work I experience things that I would otherwise miss. I'm out and about, getting to know people I probably never would have met otherwise. As a musician, I am part of a creative bubble full of artists. I enjoy getting out there and coming into contact with people who do something completely different professionally, who are much older or younger than me. I find that very refreshing. I have the impression that the older you get, the fewer people you get to know. Thanks to my volunteer work, I have been able to make many good friends over the last few years.«
“For me, photography is a break from the world-weariness of this time.”
Fabian Grischkat, 28, is an influencer and presenter. He was looking for something analogous in his digital life and found it in photography.
»In my job as a moderator and content creator, I spend many hours sitting in front of screens. In my free time, I was a creature of habit for a long time, always visiting the same restaurants and watching Tatort every Sunday. I was missing a hobby. Something that breaks up my everyday routine.
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Self-portrait by Grischkat: The camera is always with you
Photo: Fabian Grischkat
I tried swimming, then climbing. I let both go again. I didn't enjoy it and it took up too much time. It wasn't until I bought an analog camera in a small Berlin shop three years ago that I found a hobby that lasted.
I have always carried my Nikon FE2 with me since that day. To learn how such a camera works, I asked photographer friends for advice and watched YouTube tutorials.
Still, I made stupid mistakes in the beginning. I remember having film developed that was completely overexposed. In the frustration of my inability, I found motivation to continue practicing. No matter where or when – I practiced wherever I was.
I now also go on day trips with my camera – mostly from Berlin to Brandenburg. I take a lot of photos with my smartphone in everyday life without thinking. With my analog camera, I take my time and observe the subject before I press the shutter button.
I usually only notice when I get back how much these trips have taken me out of my everyday problems. Also because I often switch my phone to airplane mode. No Instagram post or push notification will reach me. For me, photography is a break from the world-weariness of that time.
Many of my friends can be seen in happy moments in my photos. I keep them all in a folder in my living room. Sometimes I imagine that the over 60,000 photos on my smartphone will simply be lost at some point - but the folder with my analogue images could be found after my death.
What I want to say is: With analogue photography I create something that lasts. Something that doesn't fit into these fast-moving times and that's exactly why it interrupts my everyday life in a nice way.«