Ilona Schmidt
Paintings | Drawings | Skulptures
Germany
About the artist
"People are at the centre of my work"
Ilona Schmidt is a renowned German painter, draughtswoman and sculptor. She lives and works in Hamburg. Since 2007 she has devoted herself to free artistic studies in painting and sculpture. Her works, which balance between abstraction and objectivity, are intended to evoke different emotions based on the subjective experience of each new viewer. Her oil and acrylic paintings, as well as in her clay sculptures, deal with the themes of community, environment, fragility, life and death, which she expresses through the use of different methods to allow the viewer to understand her art differently.
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Ilona Schmidt lives and works in Hamburg. Since 2007 free artistic studies in painting and sculpture. Since 2011 numerous exhibitions at home and abroad, since 2013 member of the Bundesverband bildender Künstler/ Landesverband Schleswig-Holstein, works in private collections in Argentina, Canada, Italy and United States represented in the Tempowerk Hamburg art collection. Her constant interest in the different individual human characteristics and idiosyncrasies and her enthusiasm for art led to the decision to start an independent study and to follow a path of continuous self-optimisation and refinement of her own techniques. Thus, her development can be described as a kind of journey through the world of art, during which she was allowed to get to know new people, techniques, places and impressions again and again. Life itself, the fascination that lies in the detail of social interaction, leave a deep emotional imprint on her, which she translates into her artwork. Her aim is to express her thoughts and ideas on various topics such as the environment, fragility or questions of belonging through the use of different methods to enable the viewer to understand her art differently. Through the unconventionality of the works and the unadulterated rendering of her thoughts, she also tries to bring problematic issues such as questions of social injustice, the transience of existence, death, but also strong emotions such as anger and grief to a more direct, emotional level. In doing so, she engages in a form of self-study, exploring current issues and ideas and using the emotions released in the process to give the themes more personal meaning and new relevance. The entire process of creating one of her works is as varied as the work itself. This is because she gives equal space to every impression or emotion. This also means that each inspiration requires a different approach. In her work, she is largely guided by her intuition and dispenses with classical methods such as scripts or sketches. Ilona Schmidt's creative process is thus the fusion of the manifestation of what she has experienced in her thoughts and her own intuition. Interpersonal constellations in the works, which point to the changes in society, allow the viewer to enter into a discourse with the works. Approval or rejection results from the individually felt provocation that the respective picture triggers in the viewer. The message in the pictures is not always obvious, which can lead to irritation. Here, a more intensive engagement with the work is essential and desired. My aim is to express my thoughts and ideas on various topics such as the environment, fragility or questions of belonging through the use of different methods in order to enable the viewer of my art to gain a different understanding. Through the unconventionality of my work and the unadulterated rendering of my thoughts, I also try to bring problematic issues such as questions of social injustice, the transience of existence, death, but also strong emotions such as anger and sadness to a more direct, emotional level.
Works | Series
Malerei | Ilona Schmidt
Zeichnungen | Ilona Schmidt
Skulpturen | Ilona Schmidt
References
Awards
2021 Art Figura - Nominated- Schwarzenberg, Germany
2016 Babylon- Miracle, Delusion and Reality/Gallery RAR/ Kunstpreis der Rosenheimstiftung - Nominated- Spijkenisse, Netherlands
2014 Europe, Myth and Vision/City Museum Offenbach/Art Award of the Rosenheim Foundation - Nominee- Offenbach, Germany
2013 Nature and Man - Nominated- St.Andreasberg, Germany
2012 Heise Art Prize "Energy" - Nomination- Dessau, Germany
2011 Aurakure- Main Award- Hamburg, Germany
2011 Art and Culture Days Hamburg- Main Award- Hamburg, Germany
2011 He who has the right eyes sees the church/Art Prize of the Versöhnungskirche- Main Prize- Hamburg, Germany
Solo exhibitions
2020 Showroom Bonn der Galerie Luzia Sassen / Gallery Luzia Sassen - Bonn, Germany
2019 When thoughts fly / N Gallery - Hamburg, Germany
2014 Tiefgang oder die Reise ins Ich / hit-Technopark - Hamburg, Germany
2012 Der pure Mensch / Werkheim - Hamburg, Germany
2011 Abstracts and the Sea / Faszination Art Gallery - Hamburg, Germany
Group exhibitions
2023 Kunst Kompakt 19 / Alte Spedition Gladbeck - Gladbeck, Germany
2023 In&Out / Gallery Carls Art 78 - Eckernförde, Germany
2022 INC corporating art fair art fair with Galerie Luzia Sassen / Oberhafenquartier, Stockmeyerstr. 41st - Hamburg, Germany
2021 Überschlagen / Luzia Sassen Gallery - Hennef, Germany
2017 Alster Art / AEZ Poppenbüttel - Hamburg, Germany
2015 Inscribed Art / Hotel Teufehof - Basel, Switzerland
2014 Vadehavs Art / Ecco Center - Tønder, Denmark
2013 Ethics and Innovation / hit-Technopark - Hamburg, Germany
2013 Art Week /Return to now / Hamburg City - Hamburg, Germany
2013 Position/BBK Hamburg / Fabrik der Künste - Hamburg, Germany
2012 Blickwechsel / Kunststätte Bossard - Jesteburg, Germany
2010 Kunstwerk Werkkunst / Reinbek Castle - Reinbek, Germany
2010 FormART International Art Exhibition / Bürgerhaus Glinde - Glinde, Germany
Museum exhibitions
Collections
2014 Hit Technopark, Germany
Press
014 Alstertal Local Encounters
2014 Harburg Aktuell- Depth or the journey into the self