ANSELM REYLE

1970, Tübingen, Germany.

Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

A CONVERSATION BETWEEN ANSELM REYLE AND JEFF KOONS

JEFF KOONS

“Is art just an illusion?”

ANSELM REYLE

Yes, art is simultaneously illusion, vision, and a statement of a new truth. True art cannot be explained through logic. One can only try to get closer to the truth. Here I would like to give you an example from my own work: A few years ago I painted a wagon wheel neon yellow and declared it art. Essentially, there are only two components here; the wagon wheel and the neon yellow color. But I joined the two components together and it became more—they reacted to each other and became something new, astonishing—and this is art. However, it is visible only to those who want to engage with it, who are ready to leave the well-known, everyday reality. And this essentially applies to all artwork, whether it is a landscape painting, a monochrome painting, or a blown-up and polished, stainless steel rabbit.

JEFF KOONS

“Do you believe art functions more importantly as an interior or exterior component in our lives?”

ANSELM REYLE

I think that expression requires experience. The external component also needs an internal component. If I were to have had, for example, negative experiences during my childhood or youth, these experiences would certainly, consciously or unconsciously, directly or indirectly, influence my artwork. Just like when a stunning sunset inspires me to make a picture. But there are also other experiences, such as those wit

PRESS HIGHLIGHTS