Viktoria Lieb: Creating new ways of seeing

I was captured by Viktoria’s work from the beginning. The combination of text and painted figures, objects, etc. is done so perfectly. It’s also a perfect combination of humor (which the work often reels you in with) and evoking emotions and making you think (which it leaves you with).

For the following I asked Viktoria if she wants to do an interview with me:

Luna Maluna Gri: Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.

Viktoria Lieb: My name is Viktoria Lieb and I’m an artist from Graz working in the fields of painting. I think the main challenge I set for myself and my artistic work is the level of abstraction, like how can you break down the complexity of objects or topics while still maintaining a connection to the actual object that the painted form should visualize? In my work, I want to keep things as light and simple as they can be.

LMG: How and why did you start creating art?

VL: I had some vague ideas for future paintings in my mind for years but lacked a clear vision of the personal painting style I wanted to pursue. I was and still am a big over-thinker, so instead of grabbing some brushes and canvases and starting to experiment, I just wrote my ideas into my notes app. I’m glad that I did that, because it allowed me to preserve all the ideas I had back then and I am still working my way through the theoretical ideas I wrote down years ago. The moment I finally got myself into the actual painting process was when I was working as a graphic designer in Vienna and became really frustrated with how much personal creativity naturally flows into that work, leaving nothing for personal projects at the end of the day. It’s not just an exchange of time for money when you work in creative fields, but rather an exchange of time and creativity for money. One of my first paintings was about that topic. It’s called “Graphic Design Jobs Kill Creativity.” At the same time, I realized that I was not only lacking creativity but also felt completely burned out in general. That felt strange to me, because when I thought about burnout, I imagined someone in a high position with a lot of responsibility that wasn’t me. So I quit and started working in a second-hand shop and finally began to fill my own canvases in 2022.

LMG: What role does creating art play for you?

VL: Creating art works as a form of therapy for me. It sounds so stupidly cliché, but it is what it is, and I don’t like to make things more complicated than they need to be. It’s a part of my life where I can give space to all the topics that concern me, whether in a good or bad way and at the same time transform them into a different kind of medium that is hopefully easy to digest for people viewing it from their own subjective perspective. I want to create an easy access to my paintings, regardless of whether you’re totally into art or just accidentally come across them. I am also studying art history in addition to the practical side of painting and I love the fact that I am constantly gaining new knowledge about the world of art.

LMG: What does your creating process look like?

VL: It always starts with a phrase that somehow catches my attention and that I immediately have to write down. Sometimes, it comes with a vision of the pictorial aspect of the painting, so I try to describe that as well. This is the fun part of the creative process, because when I write down these ideas, I often think it’s obvious what I meant, but after a few months, I look at the notes again and often have no clue what I was trying to say. For example, there is a note about a cowboy with really stiff nipples on my phone, and I think it’s just hilarious that I no longer know in which context I found that interesting. But when I still have a sense of the idea, I start to visualize it in a digital draft and with that in mind, I bring it into physical form on the canvas. My painting process is built up in different layers, which is definitely something I have carried over from graphic design. I work with acrylic paints because they dry faster, and most of the time, I wor on more than one painting at the same time.

LMG: What inspires you?

VL: Honestly, I’m open to everything around me, because everything has the potential to be an inspiration, there are no limitations. Some broader topics I’m interested in are greek myths and religious belief systems and the challenge of reframing them in a way that leaves space for further personal questions. I also find myself drawn to quotes or phrases that feel ambiguous or confusing to me. I like to think about animals and the sassy perspectives they could potentially offer us, if we found a way to communicate. So I guess one underlying idea in my paintings is the motivation to present different perspectives.

LMG: What is your experience with the art world?

VL: What I’ve noticed is that there seem to be two different worlds of art. One is open, collaborative and tries to create a space where you can connect with other artists and collectives, that’s the fun one. The second one feels more socially rigid and exclusive but is the place where you can meet potential art collectors. That’s the place where you can try to fit in and probably suffer while doing so. On top of that, the current situation here in Styria, where many cultural institutions and art spaces are facing extremely high funding cuts, is deeply concerning. Instead of valuing art more, like in Ireland, which has introduced basic income support for artists and recognizes the impact art has on society, Styria is doing the opposite. It is not just making it difficult, but existentially difficult for people in the art scene and indirectly for society as a whole, because obviously art makes everything better. In today’s world, where multiple wars are fought at the same time, art is often pushed aside, even though it holds the potential to reconnect people.

LMG: Is there something you want to change about the art world? If yes, what and why?

VL: There are definitely things I would like to change, but one of the most important ones is the accessibility of art. The art experience should not depend on income. Whether it’s visiting a museum or participating in the art scene, it should be possible for everyone, regardless of their financial situation. As an artist, you face structural barriers because art still functions within and for an elitist system. Austria seems to be one of those countries where nothing is as important as your degree (except in politics, which is ironically funny), and this doesn’t stop within the world of art. You need to be financially able to formally study art and make the right connections to gain attention. Often, access to specific open calls is limited to those with official degrees, which restricts opportunities to present your work to a wider audience. This creates an artificially limited access to the world of art, occupied by a specific social bubble, while it should be as diverse as possible. I also think the way we talk about art often creates unnecessary complexity, making it harder for people to connect with it. And lastly, I would increase the value of art so that it becomes a true necessity of life.

LMG: What do you think is/are the role/-s of artists and art in our society?

VL: I personally see my role as an artist as someone who encourages people to rethink and reevaluate. Maybe that’s my main function, to shift perspectives and create new ways of seeing for myself and for others.

LMG: What artist/artists would you like to meet (dead or alive) and if you had one question what would you ask them?

VL: If I could meet some artists, I would like to bring together a group of female artists. There should be Kara Walker, Marina Abramović, Wangechi Mutu, Valie Export and we also have to revitalize Kiki Kogelnik, Louise Bourgeois, Georgia O’Keeffe, Niki de Saint Phalle, Hilma af Klint, Maud Lewis, Frida Kahlo, Käthe Kollwitz, and Maria Sibylla Merian. If I had one question to ask them, it would be about their experiences as women in the world of art.

LMG: Is there something you want to achieve in your art life? Dreams? Future plans? Or projects you would like to do?

VL: I constantly find myself between the dream of affording a future as a full-time artist, in which I can sustain myself through art, and the fear of losing the joy of the creative process once it becomes tied to financial pressure. Because things get some certain seriousness, if your monthly income and refrigerator filling depends on it. But finding a solution to that tension is definitely one of my future goals. In the near future, I want to spend more time building cute, small, supportive communities within the world of art, connecting with other artists and expanding my practice into different mediums. I would also love to be selected for an art residency to explore how art changes in different environments. Another big goal is finally creating a website and hopefully planning an exhibition soon.

LMG: Do you think there is something you can bring to this world through your work as an artist which you couldn’t in any other field of work?

VL: Yes, I think that´s the case. Through my work, I can get to the essence of ideas and life in general very quickly while still holding on to a sense of humor. My process of creating kind of allows me to be direct and honest without becoming too serious. I feel like I would lose that balance in other fields. But I`m slowly starting to learn to integrate the sassy attitude from my paintings into my personality more and more, which feels like a kind of first aid kit in a world full of weird men, who occupy too much space for themselves.