When I met this artist, I did not know the orientation of her art, the message she wanted to convey through her works. In his workshop, I felt like in a scientific laboratory, where ideas take on the appearance of experiments and then of reality. I then understood that the essence of the creation of Barbara’s works is LIFE. The five senses are served and the three elements present in his creations. The one I am talking about today, I affectionately call Mother Nature and for me, her art deserves to be known beyond European borders.
Son art
It germinates in the soil of vegetable gardens, the sand of travels, the organic pulsation of the earth. The paintings of Barbara Schroeder grow king vegetables and sovereign fruits. A visceral energy propels them towards the cosmos. The artist, of German origin, appropriates unknown territories. She sets in motion her allegorical forms of femininity and fecundity, full or hollowed out, and celebrates the power and modesty of the vegetable universe. Barbara Schroeder is a visual artist who explores all forms of geological layers in her art in order to reveal their secrets and beauty. In museums, art centers and galleries in France, Germany and Austria but also in South Africa, Barbara has exhibited her works which bring out the beauty of the earth.
I tried to find out more about her art, her artistic journey and what she thinks of cultural exchange. I enjoyed discussing this with her. It’s a wonderful person that I met, a very humble and open Artist that I named Mother Nature.
His journey, his inspiration
“I have been to many countries where the climate is extreme. In the desert, the north pole, I wanted to see how the man is able to adapt in tough situations”.
Barbara Schroeder
Arrived in France in 1984 after the BAC to integrate the school of fine arts of Bordeaux. Her goal was to spend only a year there.
The following year, she passed a competition in Germany to enter an art school. “Unfortunately I got it. I had to decide. Seither I stayed in Bordeaux or I returned to Germany and the French culture suited me well. SO, jI made the choice to stay and I have never regretted it”.
It’s a year that’s been going on for 30 years. The journey was long and laborious. As an artist, she does not consider herself a scoop, a discovery of art. She worked a lot and learned from everything with patience, waiting for the right moment because “it is necessary not to go too fast in what you want to do” she advises
Ten years after her arrival in France, a gallery in Bordeaux trusted her and offered to exhibit her works. It was her first personal exhibition and one thing led to another every three years she exhibited in this gallery. Afterwards, she did public works, the 1%.
She did three 1%, at the Crous, at the library of the medical school, at the college of Libourne
Mother Nature obviously draws her inspiration from the nature with which she is in daily contact. His work, whether performative, pictorial or sculptural, shows nature, life in an intuitive way, also offering aesthetic and very poetic works. Through these works, Barbara offers a new perspective on the world. Thus, she gives life and its primordial forms its meaning as a work of art.
Unique pieces 50 x 70 cm approximately by Barbara Schroeder
“It is very important to build cultural bridges between France and Africa, it consolidates the links between peoples”
Barbara Schroeder
Diversity in his art
Barbara has been to several countries for inspiration very often and also for exhibitions. But, what caught my attention the most were these trips to Africa, more precisely to South Africa. The discovery of this great African country with a particular history has surely allowed the artist that she is to find new sources of inspiration. For her, Africa has aroused in her many questions that allow her to rethink her art each time. “When you go abroad for exhibitions, you rediscover yourself and that’s very important in the life of an artist. This cultural exchange makes it possible to discover the other » she says.
For Mother Nature, it is very important to build cultural bridges between France and Africa. Working with an artist who has a different culture, discovering cultural diversity allows you to improve your art.
