The New York district of SoHo was once a run-down artist's paradise, now it is dominated by chic shopping malls. But there are also places that have preserved a bygone New York like time capsules. The studio of the painter Joan Semmel, for example, who has lived and worked in the rooms since the 1970s. "I just feel good here," says the 91-year-old. "I was born in the Bronx and always dreamed of living in Manhattan. There is still a great community here. It is the most interesting place I can imagine."
As a painter, Semmel first devoted herself to abstract expressionism, but then repeatedly turned to figuration. Today she is considered a feminist pioneer of post-war modernism. Again and again she painted her naked body from her own perspective from above and asked questions about femininity, eroticism and a self-determined gaze. She is still continuing this series of self-observations and thus also shows the ageing female body, which often remains invisible in our youth-obsessed imagery. On April 25, Joan Semmel will open an exhibition with works from five decades at the Brussels gallery Xavier Hufkens . We visited her beforehand via Zoom.
Joan Semmel, this week you are opening your first exhibition at the Xavier Hufkens Gallery in Brussels. How fantastic to be able to do things for the first time at the age of 91!
Yes, I'm really looking forward to the trip, I've never been to Brussels before. It's always important to have new experiences, no matter how old you are. It broadens your life and changes your perspective. I love New York, but I've also lived in Spain and traveled a lot. That was important and also changed my perspective on my own country.
Does it still happen to you in the studio that something seems completely new to you?
Yes, constantly. That's the interesting thing about being an artist. You can live as long as I do, and yet it's new every time you come into the studio. Making art is an experience where something magical happens every time you let it. It also keeps you curious about the work.
You once said that as a young woman you consciously decided to become an artist. Where did you get the confidence that you could do it? Back then, there weren't nearly as many female role models as there are today.
I think it came in different stages. I had a relationship with art as a child, but when I was 24 I was in hospital for a while and couldn't do much. That's when I decided that I wanted to live as an artist, that that would be my life. My place wasn't just at home with the family, I felt that very clearly. It takes dedication and drive to be an artist, and I had that. My work makes me happy, and that keeps me going. Art also connects you with people who feel the same drive, which is very valuable.
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