TH: Forms, structures, and patterns of objects and plants can be found again and again in your work. Do you actively search for motifs/objects that appeal to you, or do you come across them more by chance?

JS: I am interested in the things mentioned and this inevitably results in a mixture of active search and chance encounter. Because you see what you are looking for and recognise what it can be complemented with. Ornament is probably one of the oldest forms of non-figurative representation. It moves between representationalism and abstraction, between the opposite poles of organic and geometric, between decorative surface and symbolically condensed space. The ornament is always a balancing act between meaning and abstraction, between reference and hermeticism, and in this respect, it fits my search.

TH: When we look at your painting “old ideas upset”, what fixed idea brought you to it and what do you want to express with the work?

JS: “Fixed idea” is an inappropriate term in this context. As with all my works, there were several unifying elements that accompanied the process of creating the work. The slogan “old ideas upset”, from a 1950s mattress advertisement promising restful sleep, could be cited here as a concrete set piece. This sentence “got me” in terms of content because it reflects personal and social issues. The slogan in a fragmentary, not immediately decipherable script is built up from clear geometric elements, which in turn are arranged on many small pieces of canvas sewn together. In the process, painting and stitching meet, cancel each other out, run into each other. A visual and spatial intertwining.

TH: Even if it is not immediately obvious, you often use unconventional materials as support for your works. For example, you have already created paintings on the backs of old school maps. What role do the supports play in the works you showed in the exhibition?

JS: Picture supports are of great importance to me. I try to treat them as places on which, and through which, the painting takes shape and can take place. The painting is always created in interaction with this medium. The work “Citadel” was created from many strips of colourful loden fabric sewn together, which grew into an architectural form in a process of layered priming, not only in terms of motif, but also as a structured surface. The striped structure of the seams resulted in a restrained, graphic application of colour that allows individual building blocks to stand out.

TH: From your curriculum vitae it is clear that you first studied African culture and society. To what extent did these studies influence your artistic development?

JS: Through the examination of sociological and ethnological themes and the focus on contemporary African art, I acquired a good and fruitful basis that still influences my work today. I needed this time in academic study to orient myself and engage with society, both on a theoretical level and in dealing with cultural experiences gained during internships. The reflection on place and painting that informs my work is significantly influenced by these impressions.