Artist based in Nuremberg, Germany

Monique S. Desto, Portrait of the Artist, Photo: Adrienne Meister

Tell us about yourself, what's your background?

I grew up in the south of Germany. Like many people, I have enjoyed drawing & painting since I was little. Later, I was lucky to have an artist for a neighbor who introduced me to more advanced drawing techniques and also photography, which was very exciting. So, it was always something I enjoyed, but I really knew that art was a huge part of my life, after having worked in an office full-time for a couple of years. I really enjoyed a lot of aspects of my job, but I didn’t have the time or mental energy for also making art, which made me truly unhappy. Quitting that job to study art was a scary decision to make, but it was the right one.

Gebanne:vorort, 2021, colored latex, ca 2.07 x 81,5 m (ca 6.8 x 267.4 ft) installation view

Gebanne:vorort, 2021, colored latex, ca 2.07 x 81,5 m (ca 6.8 x 267.4 ft) installation view

"I also make elastic paintings that have lost their carrier. It’s the brushstrokes themselves clinging to one another that create the surface. In a way, by reducing the material to brushstrokes alone, it becomes more of an object."

Gebanne:vorort, 2021, colored latex, ca 2.07 x 81,5 m (ca 6.8 x 267.4 ft) installation view

What are you currently working on and where did the inspiration for it come from?

I’m working on multiple projects at the moment:

• There’s an ongoing painting series on canvas that merges data about the financial realities of painting with an abstracted, coded diary.

• I also make elastic paintings that have lost their carrier. It’s the brushstrokes themselves clinging to one another that create the surface. In a way, by reducing the material to brushstrokes alone, it becomes more of an object.
• In addition to that, I’m also making ink drawings that are kind of a maze through recognition and image-reading.
• I guess with all of those approaches I’m trying to get at what we want or expect from (making) art, there’s a lot of grey areas to discover.

Factor, Age & Means (F-A-M), 2018-now, oil and acrylic on canvas, various sizes, installation view

Innovation does not only happen in the field of technology — it occurs everyday in an artist's practice. What do you do for inspiration?

Learning and understanding how and why things work: Getting into a nerdy rabbit hole of tutorials and blogs has been fruitful for all types of ideas and projects.

Untitled (step forward), 2020, colored latex, metal, plastics, installation view

Untitled (step forward), 2020, colored latex, metal, plastics, installation view

Describe your practice and process. Where do ideas start for you? In the studio or being in the world?

I guess some ideas start out as separate wonderings that at some point collide and create something to work with. Things are usually spread out chaotically across my browser history and my sketch/note book, which is always in my bag. Once I know what I’m working with, though, the chaos recedes and things get organized.

Scene from the studio, work in progress

Scene from the studio, work in progress

How do you make your work, does it start with a sketch? Can you tell us about your style? How did you arrive at it?

It depends on the project, really. Most pieces, especially paintings and installations involve a lot of sketching for planning of composition, placement and form. Or just figuring out how a specific idea can be physically done at all before working with the actual material. Other pieces that are more drawing-based, I currently don’t plan out in such detail. That’s not to say that this won’t change with a new project.

full sketch/execution plan for Gebanne:vorort

work view at Gebanne:vorort

Who are your biggest influences?

I had a wonderful art teacher at my vocational school. She was so warm and forceful at the same time. She made us think outside of what we already could do. You need to be able to destroy your work in order to get something new out of it. (Not to be taken literally all the time, but this thought helps to look at past work more flexibly).

Later, working together with other artists was and is a big influence. Talking about each other’s work or collaborating on a project gives a lot of insight and perspectives, which is very enriching.

F-A-M 2018 Weeks 45-49, 2019, oil on canvas, 80x80 cm (31.5 x 31.5 in)

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Be honest to yourself about what you want to do. Also: You should floss first and then brush your teeth.

What is the best advice you would give to other artists?

Try and take care of your mental health, but that goes for anyone.

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Stay up to date with Monique S. Desto
Instagram @monique_s_desto
www.monique-s-desto.com