What is the first mural you can remember?
The 70s murals in the subway stations of the Ruhr area, where I was born and grew up. They were not incredibly inspiring, but always present.

What can you tell us about ‘Begreifen’ — the word that serves as a ‘key’ to your work and means to both touch and understand?
I do not use any technical machines in my work approach, which is a slow, manual and very physical process that allows me to have a real relationship with the material. I don’t change these materials, I don’t force them into a particular shape, I cooperate with them and bring them to life.

Your work emphasises reducing objects to essential forms — what constitutes as ‘essential’? Has your definition changed over time?
For me, reducing objects to the essential goes hand in hand with poetry as I understand it as the essential expression in things. A work of art is an outer model of inwardness. I believe if you listen carefully, the materials will tell you what to do. My understanding of this has developed over time.

What can you tell us about your work for Scorpios, what themes did you delve into while making the pieces?
Throughout my life I have traveled a lot in Turkey and Greece. On the one hand the works for Scorpios are an attempt to connect with these memories again, using soft clay. On the other hand, all of the works were created as part of a special dialogue and collaboration with Lambs and Lions*.

What is a unique challenge of working in your medium of choice, and what is your favorite medium?
I love wood for its scent and liveliness, and clay for its density and fragility. If the essence of the material (no matter which one) is forgotten in the development of an idea, it will usually show you. Materials tend to be honest about what they are, and what they are not. I prefer to think about the process, not the result. Incorporating external influences may mean giving up control,  and reliance on this uncertainty can be challenging.

If you could work with any medium, real or imaginary, what would it be and why?
I have no need for any other materials. In my practice as an artist, I try to comprehend the uniqueness of the outside — and by that the inside, the essence.

How do environmental considerations influence your choice of materials and techniques in mural creation?
In my opinion, a material should not feel strange in a place. In addition to elaborating the characteristics of a material, there is also a need to deal with the complexity of a place. When both come perfectly together, artistic quality has the potential to shape spaces itself. When working for Scorpios, I trust Lambs and Lions’ curation with this.

How does teaching influence your practice?
Enabling people to experience self-efficacy gives me the feeling of being self-effective.

What advice would you give to emerging artists looking to develop their own unique style?
Artists have the gift of making the unspeakable visible. I think this is very necessary and by far more important than any style.

Cengiz Hartmann is a German artist, muralist and member of the German association of artists, architects, designers and industrialists (Deutscher Werkbund) as well as the artist guild (Lippischer Künstlerbund). He also works in the department of interior design at the Technical University of Ostwestfalen-Lippe in Detmold. ■

*Lambs and Lions is the lead design studio at Bodrum responsible for the overall creative direction and curation of furniture, decoration and art.

Discover the Ritual Space.