MUNTHE ART MONDAY: Mia-Nelle Drøschler

Navn: Mia-Nelle Drøschler
Hjemmeside: www.mianelle.com
Instagram: @mianelle

Please introduce yourself and what you do.

My name is Mia-Nelle Drøschler, I am a graduate from Goldsmiths Fine Art (2010). I work in the interdisciplinary field of painting, drawing, installation, performance, sculpture and text, striving to create an overall experience in which both context and art objects relate to each other.
I believe it is significant to counter react to the intellectual movements such as minimalist and conceptual art that has neglected the art’s ability to activate the imagination, and give way to human emotions. Therefore, all my works are carried out in the intuitive and spontaneous nature.

How has being a woman affected your career?

Being a woman has affected my practice rather than my career, meaning that I would argue that a 'female aesthetic' quality is present in many of my artworks.

I find it interesting that it comes across that it is a woman who has created my artworks. I see this as a 'female aesthetic'. Such a 'female aesthetic' has not been very present in the contemporary art and art history, as men have dominated art history for centuries, which is why there has been a 'male aesthetic' for way too long.  

Which other female (artist) inspires you and why?

I have always been inspired by Louise Bourgeois, who used her own personal story as an inspiration in her artwork. I also adore the fragility and yet striking roughness in her work. Recently I have fallen in love with Niki de Saint Falle who had a very diverged approach in her career, where color was a significant aspect throughout all her work.
How has the art scene coped with the gender imbalance since you began your career? How could it still improve?

I took my degree in Fine Arts in London and was living in Great Britain for six years before moving back to Copenhagen. In England it is normal procedure that you fill out questions regarding gender and race for example in an application for art funding. I very much appreciate these quotas as I believe they can be helpful in putting forth a more balanced representation across gender and race. Unfortunately, I do not see this in Denmark. 

What advice would you give to emerging female artists entering the art scene.

Stay true to your artwork, protect it from commercial interests such as repeating the same thing all over again if this goes against your artistic freedom. Keep on showing your artwork to people who YOU would like to work with and do not pay attention to feedback such as 'this is not the way to do it'.
What themes do you pursue in your art?

The contents are memories, subconsciousness and gender. In the individual paintings, sculptures, texts and performances I capture volatile and dramatic scenes where memories and dreams collide between past and present. My presentation of my memories often have a dreamlike quality. This implies the idea of memories as colorful ghosts of their original structures.

What has been the most challenging aspect of being a female artist ?
Honestly, I think the most challenging aspect is that it is more or less not accepted as an artist to take a lot of time to reflect, be emotional, and to be insecure even though these are all very strong qualities, under the right circumstances. This goes beyond the art world. There is a strong tendency all over the planet that the 'best' qualities are to be very productive, to act fast and 'to get yourself out there NOW'. I would love it if we could slow things down, take the time the art needs and go deeper rather than faster. One can argue that this has nothing to do with being female. However, I do think that the many female qualities are not respected nor accepted when working as a creative professional. 

Which impact has Covid19 had on your work?

Few months before Covid-19 became a part of our everyday life I changed my paintings from being figurative into being abstract. I wanted to dissolve what we 'know and recognize' into a world without gravity as a poetic gesture to suggest that the world is transforming and that it is about time to find a new gravity.

I see it as we are in a paradigm change.

I cannot help but see my transformation in my paintings as an indirect response to this paradigm change. Since Covid-19, I have continued this transformation far more consciously. In my text I have literally been writing about the Covid-19 situation and made a reading at the Danish National Museum a couple of months ago. For this reading I invited the American musician Martin Klingman to play on his guitar during my reading. Nothing was prepared and he did not know nor did he understand my reading in Danish. This was a way for me to demonstrate how many creatives for months have not been able to work closely together, and now we are trying to find each other again in a totally new rhythm and with a new voice. It was a beautiful event. 

Photo: Trine Leonore Berg

Each Monday we bring a new interview with a female artist. Follow MUNTHE ART MONDAY here.