The painter Anna Pascher (born in 1983 in Bad Oeynhausen) studied fashion design at the AMD in Düsseldorf and found her calling in painting. Her works move at the intersection between figurative representation and pictorial dissolution - they are a dialogue between the tangible and the fleeting. Today she lives and works in Düsseldorf. 

Is your art created in response to an inner need? If so, could you describe that need?

Anna Pascher: I'm often asked that. To be honest, I didn't really think consciously about what or how I was painting at first. But 'need' actually captures it quite well. Painting was like an outlet for me. The subject matter was secondary at first; it happened completely unconsciously.

When I ask myself today why I chose these particular motifs, the answer is that I wanted to capture moments that make me happy. A turning point was spending six months in Formentera with my family. During the pandemic, we experienced an intense period of togetherness, cooking and enjoying this unique way of life. During that time, I started painting scenes of everyday life that made me happy: table scenes and snapshots of togetherness. The apparent banality of everyday life resonated so much because we all encounter these things.

Looking at your series, we get the sense that these symbols, as well as the light and colours, still accompany you to this day. Do you draw on this sense of memory when creating new works, or does your focus lie more in what makes you happy in the present moment?

Anna Pascher: I actually choose colours mostly unconsciously. I don't deliberately choose a colour because of its psychological effect. For me, images are often inexplicable. I've noticed, for example, that I often need white spaces because they benefit me. But why is that? I keep trying to figure that out for myself.

I work extremely intuitively. I start in front of a blank canvas with no sketch or finished plan. I begin with one colour, then the next, and during the process, a dialogue with the canvas emerges. The painting 'answers' me and dictates what to do next. The composition emerges purely through the act of creation.

This intuitive approach is evident in the paintings, which is exciting. There is an enormous depth and layering. You can see where areas have been painted over, but the lower layers still show through. So is this dynamic between outlines and areas of colour the result of this process?

Anna Pascher: Absolutely. I don’t plan what lies beneath a layer. The layering happens because, at that moment, the painting isn’t finished yet and needs a different shape or colour. The biggest challenge is knowing when to stop. When is it finished? When does the painting cry out, 'No more elements!'? This process can be emotionally exhausting, even though the finished paintings look light.

It's almost as if the canvas forces you to keep going in a frenzy.

Anna Pascher: Yes, exactly! It can be difficult to know where an image is taking you when you don't have a plan. I remember being asked in an interview three years ago, “Does art have to hurt?” At the time, I answered without hesitation: 'No.' Today, however, I would say: Yes, absolutely. There's a paradox: the images convey a sense of lightness, but the process of creating them is often an intense, challenging and exhausting phase.

Perhaps that is precisely where the art lies: in conveying this lightness and reminding the viewer of something beautiful.

Anna Pascher: Yes, my works highlight the uniqueness of life in everyday moments, such as a set table. They serve as a reminder of what really matters.

In the exhibition, you’re showing both large-format and smaller works. How does your process differ for each? Do you find one easier than the other?

Anna Pascher: The large formats actually came first. My first two-metre-wide canvas came incredibly easily to me. I enjoyed working on such a large surface very impulsively. For me, the small works are more like excerpts from the large formats. I try to maintain the proportions of the objects — the glasses or apples — and not scale them down drastically. My momentum and gesture while painting don't allow for anything else. So a smaller painting is often a concentrated detail of a larger one.

The exhibition also features a work titled “Lido”—in which, among other things, you can see the outline of a vase. What does this series mean to you?

Anna Pascher: For the table scenes, which could in theory be boundless, I sought a form that would hold these fragments together and protect them. The vase is a classic, valuable object that encloses things. I imagine shaking the canvas so that all the layers and elements overlap in a disorderly fashion—and the vase encompasses what has happened there. It provides a protective frame for the fragments of memory.

In your new series, for example in the work “July,” you use new color tones—shades of purple, yellow, and more gradients. Did that also stem from a need for change?

Anna Pascher: Yes, this is a further development of my previous series. I increasingly felt the need to remove things, to “unload” the image. I wanted to free myself from the idea of how a table “should” be set—omitting cutlery or turning glasses upside down.

At the same time, I’m exploring how memories blur. In my mind, memories are often not concrete; they flow into one another. This leads to my work becoming more fluid as well. A major theme for me suddenly became the color gray. I resisted it for a long time, but when I forced myself to embrace it, it felt like an “aha” moment. For me, gray conveys this “floating” and merging, as one experiences in dreams.

Despite this blurring, however, there are always very clear focal points.

Anna Pascher: Exactly. Just as with thoughts, where a clear situation suddenly emerges, some objects — like the apple in 'October' — have very sharp outlines, while others fade into the background. This interplay of sharpness and blurriness particularly appeals to me right now. It's about moments that you can't quite capture, yet which remain nonetheless.

I think that’s a wonderful closing remark. Thank you very much, Anna!

Copyright of the images: Friedalovesemil & Anna Pascher