Ulrich Gutmair

My studio is my desk.

What I do in one sentence: I am writing texts.

Why I didn’t get a proper job: Because I am too curious.

An artwork I dream of and I would get accomplished if space, time and money were abundant: A Manifesto of Sensualism.

Why I do what I do: I do it, because I am like everyone else. What does it mean to be human? Maybe first of all being curious, about others and thus also about the other person that is myself.

Artists, I have on my watch list (and why): Lalalar, a band from Istanbul, that blends funky beats and basslines with traditional harmonies, Punk distortion and Turkish lyrics. And Hubert Fichte. I am forever returning to his writings.

I am afraid of not being able to write.

I know that a piece is finished when the deadline is crossed. A more serious might be: When I feel that any more effort put into the piece will probably not make it better, but worse. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t.

How I want to be buried resp. words I want to be written on my tombstone: My obituary should include the sentence: He was a dancer. And he made us dance, too.

Studio visit at Kulturakademie Tarabya in Istanbul, January 2020.