How did you become an artist?
I had feelings I couldn’t express with words and as I was always drawing or creating stuffs, painting came to me pretty naturally and it was a big relief when I found this path.
How would you define yourself as an artist?
I see myself as a witness of my generation. I paint what I perceive. I paint the stories of the not so visible.
I read that you were a singer at one ponit in your life, what made you go back to painting?
Oh that was really bad, that’s why I stopped. It was 10 years ago, I made a couple of tracks and believed in myself. I made a featuring with a New York rapper, a video clip that ended up on MTV, and a song on university radios. When you believe in yourself and work hard with all your willpower, it happen.
Would you say that you are a contemporary artist in the sense that the present is part of your artistic production?
Definitly. The times we live in are crazy and I have my ups and downs too. Therefore I need art to express my feelings, to put them in reality, so I can keep going as a person. It’s like an outfall for me. And as I said above, I’m just a witness who needs to express itself.
I paint the stories of the not so visible.
Do you think contemporary art is bordersless and at the same time formless?
Yes, definitly. My whole work is about borders, socially and geographicaly speaking. I’ve been working with Google Street View as a tool. The realization, that you can cross the planet within three clics, whereas in real life passports and visas are the the real gatekeepers, made me think.
What are your plans for 2020?
I’m working on the third act of my project Pastèques & Paraboles, it might come out at the end of this year.
Johanna Tordjman – www.thetordjmaniac.com