on the composition and treatment of materials in my work :
I am treating materials like living organisms in my work. for example, a piece of wood is not mere material substance. in my creative vision and practice, it represents the opportunity to merge with other elements. the fusion of the various components stamps the final work pieces with its unique character.
in the act of artistic creation, I like to think of my pieces as 'being born’. and naturally, every child is different. this difference accounts for the variety of processes and forms in which manifold materials might join together. the general shape and the unique finish of my furniture are of an expressive nature. objects adopt their own gestures and mimics. this expression finds its roots in my relationship with the environment. I handle those materials in a rather free creative spirit, using craftsmanship techniques that are performed by my most inner and personal dispositions. like a child inherits many characteristics and behaviors from its parents, my collections and pieces reveal a big part of me.
valentin loellmann's background and inspirations :
I was born and raised in southern germany. I grew up in an atmosphere of creativity, or better: shared creativity. since my childhood, I have been evolving in a family in which the arts are practiced daily. this naturally triggered in me the awareness for a potentially artistic development. when I was a kid, curiosity, the desire to discover, and a special sensibility regarding my surroundings laid the foundations to my creative spirit and ambition. I have carried these qualities on through my personal evolution. they kept influencing my work in different contexts and along different states of mind. an experience, a mood or a feeling in relation with my direct surroundings can be the impetus to create. it is only in the artistic and academic context that I have really been able to translate those emotions into unique artworks. the academy, the contact with the creative professionals, and learning how to treat materials have been important filters to my creative drive. the years I spent at the academy of fine arts maastricht in the section 'product design', from which I graduated in 2009, helped me to channel my ideas and sentiments into proprietary novelty.
valentin loellmann's creative inspirations: emotional and external influences :
what could be more individual than an emotion? my emotions arise when I find myself confronted to new contexts and individuals, when my environment uncovers deep insights and new perspectives. I have always had an intimate attention for the objects and materials that surround me. this attention is the premise to my inspirations and the creative act that follows. new encounters or the discovery of abandoned places feed my imagination.
in my creations, I always aim to express the balance and the reciprocity between the past and the present, the old and the new, the natural and the artificial.
I think that an overload of concepts can make our world smaller. our minds tend to block out things that do not fit our system of belief. my aim is to reverse the process of adopting ready-made concepts and reopen my mind to new opportunities, to be able to rediscover my childhood appetite for wonder and curiosity.
whether you perceive me as an antiquarian, a space lover, a dreamer, a wood worker, a designer or an artist does not change the very core of my inspiration. being attentive enough to the fascinating places that are part of one's landscape, a world opens up, in between childhood memories and lifetime dreams.
