10 Questions with Clara Lemos

Born in Guimarães, Portugal, in 1980, Clara has spent her life between her home country, the Netherlands and Germany. She is currently based in Berlin, where she has been living for the past 11 years. With a master’s degree in nutrition sciences and a Ph.D. in human biology, Clara built a scientific career working as a cancer researcher for more than 15 years. Her love for art has been a life-long companion, but it was not until recently that she decided to start creating her own art. In early 2021, in the middle of a global pandemic and going through a period of maternity leave, Clara felt the need to find her own space among an unusually stressful and isolated time. Her art became her quest for inner balance.

With a very young artistic career, Clara has already exhibited her work in several virtual exhibitions, had her physical exhibition debut in a Berlin gallery last May, and saw some of her artworks published in different Art Magazines.

@clara_detached

ARTIST STATEMENT

Clara’s work is an attempt to express her subjective concept of beauty – it takes a great deal of inspiration from her emotional states and the most ordinary and mundane little things. It is about giving context and meaning to all the forgotten details. She is particularly drawn to the imperfect beauty of the walls all over Berlin. Random marks, irregular textures, leftover paper, have all become key features of her work.

As a self-taught artist, she does not feel bound to any conventions or rules and truly enjoys the freedom and intuitive nature of her creative process. She loves the endless possibilities, the surprises, the revelations.
Clara uses primarily acrylic paint, but she often adds other media to her paintings, including pencil, pastels, charcoal, and all kinds of found materials such as fabric, cardboard, paper, and thread. While she is very much drawn to black and white minimalism, her work is commonly enriched by texture and some spurs of color.

INTERVIEW

You have a very peculiar story, both personally and artistically. You just recently decided to create your own art during the global pandemic. How and why did you choose to go down this path? Do you remember when you realized that you were going to become an artist?

I was interested in all kinds of art my whole life – not only painting but also sculpture, photography, film, music, you name it. I love the beauty that can be created when we disconnect a bit from the essential needs of reality. But my interest in art was purely as a spectator. To be very honest, I always considered myself the opposite of creative. So, when I started painting back in January, it didn't even cross my mind that I would ever be called an artist. 

Essentially, being on maternity leave during the pandemic offered me a lot more free time than I have ever had before. So, I thought it would make sense to try out a new hobby. Importantly, I was looking for something very practical and intuitive, and exploring acrylic painting seemed a fitting possibility. So, I did some research, watched a few tutorials (blessed internet!), ordered basic supplies, and got my hands dirty. A week later, I was completely addicted. After putting my son to sleep, I spent all my evenings painting, exploring, learning, experimenting. There was no way back. Everything evolved very quickly – I started receiving a lot of good feedback from family, friends, and, likely less biased, my social media. I applied to some open calls and got my work exhibited and published. It's been a hell of a journey, and I feel so blessed for having discovered such a passion at this point in my life. 

How much does your researcher's life influence your artistic production? Do these two sides of your personality influence each other, or are they completely separated?

I believe that, in my life, science and art are separated but do complement each other. As a scientist, I am very structured and organized, patient, rational. As an artist, I'm all emotion and intuition. For my own inner balance, it is so important to even out my intellectual work with something more spontaneous and immediate. One of the aspects that I really love about my work as an artist is the profound sense of accomplishment at the end of each piece. The time and energy that one invests are rewarded right there, and it is palpable. This is very different in science, where one can go days, weeks, even months, without anything concrete achieved. I don't necessarily believe that one is better than the other, but I have no doubt that having both makes for a healthier me.   

What is the creative process behind your works? And where do you find inspiration?

I guess that a good description for my creative process is "trial and error". I never have a plan for what I'm going to paint next - I mean, I have ideas of things that I want to try, but never a sketch or mental image of how the finished piece should look like. Typically, I just grab a canvas and start adding paint - different paint, different tools, different motions. Sometimes the piece reveals itself very quickly; most of the time, it takes many do-overs until I see something that I like. This random process, as chaotic as it might be, is full of possibilities. I never know what will be, but when something is, the joy is immense. It is magical!

As cliché as it might sound, I would say that I take a great deal of inspiration from my emotional states. I channel my moods, my frustrations, my joys into whatever I'm working on. From a more physical point of view, I am deeply inspired by all the mundane objects that I come across – from the wooden floors of my flat to the packages that I receive in the mail. But walls are my favorite! And Berlin is a wall wonderland. The graffiti, the posters, the fresh and old paint, the dirt – all this random imperfection is my definition of beauty.

Tell us about the materials and techniques that you use. How do you choose them? And do they have particular meanings to you?

I've started using mostly acrylic paint and ink, but soon I started exploring other traditional media such as charcoal, pencil, and pastels. As I felt comfortable integrating these media into my artworks, I ventured into using other materials. I mostly add found materials of all kinds – I have a box where I collect leftover paper, fabric, cardboard, and other items destined to be thrown away, and I love integrating these into my paintings. Not only do I enjoy the idea of repurposing these materials, but many times they are the centerpieces of my artworks – very much in line with my obsession with finding beauty in all these mundane little things. 

What is the most challenging part of your work?

Self-doubt. I often find it hard to manage the ups and downs in my creativeness. Some days, I get in front of a canvas, and everything flows so naturally – layer after layer, and the artwork builds itself effortlessly. Many other days, there is emptiness – nothing that I try seems to lead anywhere. There is paint on the canvas, but to me, it just looks blank. In these moments, I feel immense frustration, and I seem to forget the nature of my own process. I should know by now that all I need to do is to keep going… but instead, I doubt. I doubt my process, I doubt myself. Overcoming the doubts and moving forward is definitely my biggest challenge.

What do you wish to communicate to your public?

Lightness, beauty and possibility.

Lightness, or rather a feeling of calmness and relaxation, is exactly what I feel when creating (and likely the main reason I do it). Thus, painting became a new form of meditation for me. I believe that my use of mostly neutral shades and monochromatic schemes evokes this inner silence that I try to share with my audience. 

Beauty is what I strive for in each and every piece. It is certainly "my beauty", but one that I want to convey to those who appreciate my work.

And possibility is my process – in art, as in life, we start with an empty canvas. And then we make choices. Each finished artwork was a hundred different artworks on their way to completion. I don't believe in "one-way roads" – we can always go back and make it different, make it better, make it ours. It's our choice – and as a very good friend once told me, "choice is a privilege, not a burden".

Do you have a role model that you've drawn inspiration from when creating your art?

I wouldn't speak of a single role model, but I sure take inspiration from the work of many other artists. Every day I see such wonderful pieces of art just by browsing my Instagram or checking some virtual/online exhibitions. So, I'm not talking necessarily about big-sounding names, but just all the anonymous artists sharing their creations with the world. Now, I do certainly have my favorites – I think that if I am to pick the artists that have most influenced my work, I would definitely name Antoni Tapies and Hideaki Yamanobe. 

Do you find that the shift to digital exhibitions and art fairs has helped you promote your work?

Absolutely. Over the past months, the number of opportunities for digital exhibitions was incomparably higher than that for physical shows. I am sure the pandemic played a big role, but I am also convinced that digital exhibitions can simply accommodate more artists. This certainly opens (earlier) doors to new and emerging artists, who would otherwise struggle to have their work shown to a bigger crowd of collectors and art lovers. Another important factor is the price. Digital shows are typically much cheaper (some even for free), allowing artists with a low budget to still participate. Additionally, digital exhibitions have the potential to reach a wider viewer population – it's just so easy to appreciate art from the comfort of our couch. I'm in no way defending that digital shows should replace physical exhibitions. There is nothing like appreciating a piece of art in the flesh. But I think that physical and digital exhibitions can and should complement each other, integrating a lot more artists and reaching together a much wider audience.

What do you hope to accomplish this year, both in terms of career goals and personal life? 

After several months at home with my son, I will be going back to my job as a scientist very soon. So, my main goal for the months ahead is really to find the right balance between my family life, my full-time job, and my work as an artist. It is quite ambitious, but it is how I want my life to look like moving forward. 

Another major goal for me is to finally get a dedicated studio space. So far, I've been working on my "occupied" living room, painting on top of my dining table. And even if I am to get over the aesthetic disaster that I created, I am feeling more and more limited in what I can do. I am eager to work with bigger formats and try new materials, so I'm determined to find the right space for that.

And lastly, what are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

At the moment, I am just getting some pieces ready to be shipped to Athens, where they will be exhibited in September. So, if you're in town, don't miss the Athens Open Art starting on September 10th.

But I would say that my biggest project in the near future is to successfully move, together with my husband and son, from Berlin to Boston. It's another big challenge, but I couldn't be more excited. And I can't wait to explore new opportunities and start new projects in Boston.