Image courtesy of Kasper Faerch.

By: Gabé Hirschowitz

Danish artist and art historian Kasper Faerch works in the intersection of art and design across a variety of media, including painting, sculpting, drawing and paper cutting. Moving from a very figurative approach to a more abstracted response over the years, his work is both streamlined and vibrant, while also remaining minimalistic and monochrome. According to the artist himself, no matter which media he works in, “I always seek a purified form of beauty dominated by order, simplicity and harmony. I am preoccupied with the tensions that arise in the encounter between contrasts.” From the artist’s own perspective, the intention of alternation between warm/cold, hard/soft and smooth/rough adds character and creates a conflicting space. In Faerch’s hands, the results of such intended ambivalence are decidedly impressive.

Gabé: What’s your earliest memory of creating art?

Kasper: There is no particular memory that comes to mind, but I have had a need for a creative outlet for as long as I can remember. By coincidence it ended up being art, but it might as well have been something else. I’m still finding it difficult to refer to myself as an artist. You have to earn that title, and I haven’t done that yet. That said, it was a special moment making the pieces for my first exhibition at a gallery.

Gabé: What unexpected experiences/ ideas/things inspire you?

Kasper: It can be anything, a simple concrete wall or a pattern in the sand. I often find beauty in the imperfect and irregular. Why we keep on striving for perfection when imperfection is far more interesting, I do not understand.

Gabé: Describe your process: what unique things do you have to do to make the work happen?

Kasper: To quote photographer and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto: “ If I already have a vision, my work is almost done. The rest is a technical problem.”

Gabé: How would you characterize your artistic esthetic–in five words?

Kasper: Monochrome, tactile and harmonic. I would like my work to offer a meditative experience – to be poetic and calming without demanding excessive attention. At least that is the mood I am trying to convey.

Gabé: You are deserted on a remote planet; what three things do you need to keep your sanity?

Kasper: A soccer ball, a pen and paper.

Gabé: Who influences you creatively?

Kasper: I am inspired by everything from American minimalism, Korean “dansaekhwa” and Italian “arte povera.” However, if I have to mention one artist that keeps inspiring me, it must be Piero Manzoni. He is so much more than his iconic work “Merde d’Artista.”

Gabé: If you had a time machine, which period in art history would you visit and why?

Kasper: It has to be Paris in 1920’s. Jazz, art, music, literature and eccentric personalities. What’s not to like. 

Gabé: What’s the best exhibition/show you’ve ever seen (not including your own)?

Kasper: Yves Klein at Tate Liverpool. A beguiling homage to one of the most visionary and cool artists of modern time. It was like entering a fluorescent blue sea – intense, poetic and yet so simple.

Gabé: What three living artists would you like to have a group show with?

Kasper: Analia Saban, Ha Chong-Hyun and Otis jones.   

Gabé: What would you be doing right now if you weren’t an artist?

Kasper: Pre-school teacher.

To view Kasper’s work, visit GaleriePerrie.com.