PROLOGUE | PERSONAL
Nicole, imagine you would welcome us in your studio or home. Where do we talk together, where do we meet you?
My studio is in the Atelierhaus Vulkanfiberfabrik (VulkanKunstwerke e.V.) near Berlin, in Werder an der Havel, directly by the river. It is part of a marina. I have an approximately 80 m² partitioned studio within a large hall, where I sometimes spread out with various works. The light is always beautiful, and now in spring, we no longer have to freeze. By the way, we currently have a free studio space available!
Title image: Portrait Nicole Heinzel, © the artist
Perhaps we are sitting in your favourite place? In that case, I just picked you up from the train station in my mobile studio camper van, and we are now sitting in my favorite spot in the forest. The sun is shining through the trees, a light breeze is blowing. I made us some coffee, and we are sitting at a camping table.
Or, we could also meet at my exhibition at the Galerie kajetan in Berlin. There, you can see the works in their best light and wonderfully presented. It’s up to you! Lets go!
You were born in 1969. Please tell us where you were born or grew up and which stages and people have particularly influenced you in your life so far.
My father was a helicopter pilot, and we traveled the world from one oil country to another. I was born in Benghazi, Libya. After that, we lived in Iran (Persia), Trinidad and Tobago, Scotland—where I studied—then in London for about seven years, and in 2003, I moved to Berlin. At that point, it was time to reconnect with my German identity, to discover and accept my German roots. In 2018, my family and I fled to the countryside, to the blossom-filled town of Werder (Havel): “Living where others go for their holidays.” So many wonderful people have influenced me. You know who you are!
Which writers do you find exciting at the moment and which books can be found on your bookshelf? In general, when I find the time to read – which unfortunately mainly happens on holiday – I enjoy biographies and autobiographies of artists. My bookshelf is full of artist catalogs.
Which books have influenced or shaped you?
The book Birds Art Life: A Year of Observation by Kyo Maclear comes to mind. It taught me to stop, wait, observe, and listen. I had never paid much attention to birds before, but now I feed them, and in the mornings, there’s a proper bird watchers paradise – they party every day outside my bedroom window. I drink my tea and enjoy the bird mayhem in front of my eyes. Since our cat died, the birds have reclaimed their land.
In my younger days, books from the Generation X and hippie counterculture movements seemed very exciting to me. Ken Kesey, Tom Wolfe, Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson, Salinger, Burroughs, Ginsberg, and others. Those writers were very “in” at the time but resonated strongly with me.
While painting, I listen to podcasts and audiobooks—does that count? My selection is broad, from parenting and physiology to financial gurus advising How to Become a Millionaire, as well as numerous interviews with artists and discussions on the art world. Sometimes, I dive into topics like technology, what’s happening next with AI, or mind-blowing new scientific discoveries. It all seeps into my subconscious. Some of my works become imprinted with the information I absorb. For example, one piece will always represent to me the wildfires in LA because I listened to the news nonstop while painting it.
What are you currently reading and where does the book lie at hand?
Right now, With Darkness Came Stars: A Memoir by Audrey Flack is on my bedside table. The artist and author passed away recently, and I heard a wonderful interview with her on The Great Women Artists podcast by Katie Hessel just before she died. Her incredible strength inspired me to buy her book.
I also have the magazine Fukt: Nature Issue next to my bed—I ordered it because of the title, but also because it features the works of the artist Per Adolfson, whom I am a fan of.
The third book at the moment is about the artist Lois Dodd.
What music do you listen to and when? Something strange is happening—I’ve started turning on Classical Radio whilst driving. I think I’ve finally grown up! Classical music calms me down. I’m actually more familiar with techno, hip-hop, rap, anti-folk, avant-garde, indie, punk rock, and rock. Sadly though, I’m no longer up-to-date on contemporary music, which I need to fix because younger generations are creating amazing things.
I used to be surrounded by music all the time, especially since I spent my twenties and thirties in London, mostly around musicians who shaped my taste. Bands like Blonde Redhead, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, The Cure, The Velvet Underground, Jawbreaker, and my ex’s band, The Kills. Britpop bands like Oasis, The Jam, Captain Beefheart, or bands from my friends. Every weekend, I was on the guest list for some gig. I was a full-on groupie.
During art school, I got into techno and house music, right when the rave scene exploded, flipping music culture upside down.
If you were to cook something for us, what would it be? Tacos.
And what is your favourite food? Also tacos. I love Thai food too. I enjoy trying new things.
What do you think about breakfast? Breakfast can be the most important meal of the day, but it can also happen later. In winter, I eat porridge. But I usually do intermittent fasting, so I skip breakfast entirely—and I don’t miss it. However, I absolutely must start the day with a hot drink. Coffee, tea, hot water with lemon …
What kind of sport or compensation do you do for your artistic work? Yoga. I also have a gym membership, though I’ve been seriously neglecting it lately. Once a year, I go skiing to blow away the cobwebs. In summer, I swim in the beautiful Plessower See, right behind our house.
Do you have any special hobbies that you are passionate about, and if so, which ones?
Gardening. Digging around in the earth and seeing things grow brings me pure joy. Gardening is like making art. It’s grounding. I can spend five hours in the garden and wonder where the time went. Naturally, this connects to my art. My plants sometimes make appearances in my drawings, photographs, and cyanotypes.
What personality trait particularly defines you? Oh wow! Well, I think I am highly reflective. Maybe even an overthinker. I am contradictory in many ways – I can be extremely focused when needed, yet I am also completely chaotic, multitasking myself to death, but out of that comes my art.
I believe I am a loyal person. I like to think people can rely on me, even if I sometimes take a bit longer or disorganised, but when it comes down to it, you can absolutely count on me.
I am very sensitive and intuitive, which is great for making art but can make life hard – sometimes I think I’d benefit from being a little tougher. I am generally a positive, joyful, and communicative person, as long as I’m left in peace especially in the mornings. Naturally I’m a night owl.
Do you have a concern that you would like to share with us? Or an answer to a question (not asked by us) that currently moves you? Yes. I think we need to pull ourselves together and try to find common ground instead of seeing differences as something negative or suspicious. We generally need to approach each other with humor and goodwill. It’s so simple and such a cliché, but we are human beings on a unique planet flying through space. Wouldn’t it be better to marvel at the wonders of this world and the universe, to ask, What are we doing here? Why are we here? Where do we want to go? – holding hands, pursuing and discovering common paths and goals – rather than behaving like complete idiots? I can’t comprehend that a large part of humanity is still starving, that women and children experience physical and verbal abuse on a daily basis, that racism, sexism, homophobia, poverty, war, and misery are all still so prevalent.
As a child, I was sure that by the time I grew up, all these human problems would be solved. But no.
We should hold onto hope, look ahead with open hearts, and finally leave all that crap in the past. That’s probably very naive and childish.
Thank you very much for this personal insight, Nicole. So let’s talk about your art now.
INTERVIEW | ARTIST + POSITION
We would like to briefly introduce your artistic career. You studied at the Duncan of Jordanstone School of Art and Design, Dundee in England from 1988 to 1991 and at Kingston University in London from 1997 to 1998. Have we missed anything? Please tell us about other stages in your artistic career.
In 2022/23, I completed the renowned, London-based TURPS (Banana) Correspondence Course in painting. That was, hands down, the most impactful experience for me. It was a mentorship with the brilliant artists Katrina Blannin and Kyung Hwa. For over a year, we exchanged emails. I completely deconstructed my artistic process, analyzed it, and experimented with new works. It was an intense introspection – why, how, and what. I tried to break old patterns in order to discover new directions.
The result was a relatively large document with work samples and texts from the three of us. At that time, I had hit a dead end, triggered by major life changes. This outstanding painting course unearthed ideas, questions, and solutions within me that I didn’t even know I had. It was more valuable to me than anything else. I can 100% recommend it to painters.
How did you get into art? Why art?
I truly believe I born into it. I remember my parents recognizing it in me when I was only three years old. All I did was draw, draw, draw.
When we moved from Trinidad to Scotland, my life changed so drastically that I withdrew into my art. I created fantasy worlds, drawing horses, houses, gardens, landscapes, animals. In 1978, a Scottish village was gray, cold, and wet. Some of the kids found me utterly weird – this German girl speaking English with a Caribbean accent, wearing moon boots and a poncho. They would say “Heil Hitler.” I retreated into myself and took art with me.
Later on as a teenager I reemerged with full force, thanks to punk rock. Of course, my art was still present. It never leaves. I’m stuck with it, but it’s my greatest gift.
What is currently making you happy?
Cuddling, being silly, and watching stupid TikTok videos together with my son Joshua. As I mentioned before, gardening – and traveling – is the best thing. Parking my VW camper in a spot where I know nobody is going to come by, so I can write, draw, photograph, film, read, and plan. That’s when many lists are made, many ideas tested. If the sun is shining and things are going really well – and I haven’t forgotten half of my stuff – I might even make cyanotypes in the forest.
I love being alone, which is lucky because my work demands it. In the studio, I’m almost always happy – unless there are constant distractions.
It makes me happy to have uninterrupted time with my wonderful sister, brainstorming creatively and coming up with ridiculous wild ideas.
Swimming in the lake. Lying in a hammock with a cold Gösser Radler (beer-lemonade mix).
One of the great things about getting older is that I’m finally realising that the simplest things bring the most happiness. I figured that out way too late, unfortunately.
What is currently scaring you?
Unfortunately, psychopaths still keep gaining power, they hold our fate – and, above all, the fate of our children – in their hands. I’m super afraid that my son might experience war. That history is repeating itself in the form of the growing prevalence of right-wing extremist thinking.
The hate that is becoming more and more blatant, both online and offline.
In my work, there is no fear. Maybe just the fear of not being able to produce something I’m happy with by a certain deadline.
Do you believe that art has a social responsibility? And what do you think it can achieve?
Art can carry a social responsibility. But it shouldn’t be an obligation, as I often hear. It’s entirely up to the artist whether they want their work to achieve or communicate something socially relevant. This responsibility emerges naturally anyway if art is practiced with honesty and authenticity.
Too often, I see art that says something just because there’s funding available for it. Maybe the message is important, but it doesn’t resonate because the motivation behind creating the artwork was based on a restrictive, conditional dependency from the outset. In those cases, I wonder if the theme or concept was ever truly important to the artist in the first place.
Maybe it’s enough if perception is shifted internally – that may in itself, impact society in a positive way.
For me, preserving honesty in art is absolutely crucial and doing exactly what one feels is right. The motivation behind it is what matters the most.
What characterises your art? What is your work about – what are the central themes?
The core theme in my work is perhaps that we should think critically, question everything, and not necessarily accept things as they first appear. Our reality is very strange. I believe that is something I reflect in my art.
Read more about Nicole Heinzel’s artistic message in THE DEED | DAS WERK:
THE DEED | DAS WERK
The artist Nicole Heinzel, who was born in Benghazi, Libya in 1969 and has lived in Werder an der Havel since 2018, talks about the central message of her artistic work.
Please describe the core theme and central message of your work.
The core theme in my work is perhaps that we should think critically, question everything, and not necessarily accept things as they first appear. Our reality is very strange. I believe that is something I reflect in my art.
Secondly, I want to share how I, as an artist, perceive, experience, and interpret the world – to perhaps offer the viewer a new perspective. I use my favorite communication tools, which are available to me – painting, photography, film, drawing, collage, and the occasional installation made of trees or spaghetti. With these tools, I can communicate much more effectively.
Which artists have inspired your work?
Oh, so many! Clifford Still, Cézanne, Ellsworth Kelly, Masao Yamamoto, Nobukazu Takemura, Andreas Eriksson, Alex Katz, Mamma Andersson, Jack Youngerman, Peter Doig…
Introduce to us the work that you feel exemplifies or best embodies the message of your work.
There isn’t just one single piece. This message fundamentally permeates everything I create. However, the LINEscapes present this idea in a simple, easily understandable way. The fact that they can be perceived on multiple levels hopefully resonates with most viewers. There is often an “Aha” moment. People frequently say to me: “At first, I thought this was a photograph of the sea, but no, it isn’t at all.” and then, “How did you do that?”
What is the goal of your art, of your work – what is it supposed to do for the viewer?
I hope my works convey truth, honesty, and authenticity – and something that cannot be put into words – the unexplainable, the unspoken, the wonder of nature, the different ways and layers in which we perceive, the ambiguity of our own existence, the essence of life… Not too much to ask from my paintings, right?
The question about THE DEED | DAS WERK is a supplementary and separately presented part of THE INTERVIEW IN|DEEDS with Nicole Heinzel. The scope of the answers is up to the interviewees. The editorial team does not edit the answers.
How do you protect yourself from too much inspiration in today’s times?
Oh, that’s a great question and a big issue for me. I don’t know if others feel the same, but for me, the constant, nonstop inspiration can be a problem! That might sound ungreatful, but as an artist, it’s actually very difficult to switch off. Everything has the potential to serve as inspiration. Everything has meaning or symbolism. The way a fried egg sizzles in the pan, how a pile of unwashed clothes suddenly reveals an incredible color combination, how a bee gets tangled in a spider’s web and completely freaks out. For me, it’s about being in motion. When I’m on the move and discovering new landscapes, that inspires me. Or the way light changes in my studio throughout the day. There is rarely a break from inspiration. Even in my sleep, while dreaming, ideas and inspiration keeps on coming. When reading, watching movies, admiring other artworks, discovering new techniques, having incredible conversations with inspiring people, or simply staring out of the window—BAM!! There it is again—Inspiration! Inspiration is so deeply integrated into life, and as an artist, you’re open to it – like a sponge that absorbs everything. Then you want to capture it all, with your iPhone. Then,you end up with 120,000 photos on the cloud, and you know that maybe only 2% of those inspirations will ever be turned into a finished artwork… exhausting, but also exciting, stimulating, and life is definitely never, ever boring!
How much of your work is planned in advance – how much arises intuitively?
I have different series that cover both approaches. My LINEscapes – these are abstract works where I draw or score lines through an impasto layer of oil paint with a knife – are purely instinctive and intuitive. I work in a way where I barely know what will emerge. Only when I remove the second layer do I even see what I have created. The works are extremely physical, rhythmic, meditative – sometimes created to music, mostly without. I have a loose idea of an image in my mind, but in the process, the planned color may turn out completely differently because during mixing, it suddenly reveals a power I couldn’t have imagined myself.
TheLINEscapes are sometimes planned to be calm and zen-like, but in the middle of creating, an anarchic urge takes over, and I pull completely destructive and disharmonious lines through the paint. This way of working can, of course, sometimes reveal unexpected surprises, but it can just as easily go in the wrong direction.
A different approach is a well-planned thought out piece. I know exactly what motif I want to depict. I search for it in my huge photo library, then edit it digitally, remove information, color, form, depth. I project the motif onto the canvas and, in an almost mechanical yet meditative manner, draw the image with a knife into the impasto layer. That’s when the audiobooks come into play. I like listening to Zen philosophies or life-coaching tips. These sessions usually last around 10 hours. All these works must be completed in one go. I can’t just continue the next day because the paint will behave differently by then.
What are your (next) goals?
To work undisturbed and focused in my studio or in my van. To play and experiment again, further developing my latest works. I want to take my cyanotypes to a more professional level so they can be exhibited publicly. I plan to work with new technologies and materials to develop a new way of drawing. Last – and definitely least – I finally need to get my stupid tax return finished.
What is your position on the subject of faith? Do you have principles of faith or is there a motto?
I consider myself quite a spiritual person. I believe in consciousness and suspect that we – and actually everything that exists – are all a piece of it. I find that every religion has something important to offer, but at the same time, I am exhausted by all the ridiculousness happening between certain religions right now.
Which project would you still like to realise if a lack of time, courage or financial resources did not play a role?
My “money no object” dream is a huge property with an art center, gallery, and studios, plus around 10 tiny houses to host lost, forgotten, undiscovered but brilliant artists – especially women artists. A kind of refuge where artists can work in peace and exhibit their art. OR to buy a really good VW Crafter turn it into another mobile studio and go on a self-organized, time- and space-unlimited artist residency while traveling the world.
In your view, what are the attributes of good art?
Have I mentioned this before? Art that is authentic. Art that seeks the truth. Art that is honest. To reach this “level”, it – or the artist – has failed, experienced frustration and disappointment and has worked through that. That’s what makes it honest in the end.
Is one born as an artist? Or is studying art compulsory?
Some are born that way. Some train themselves to be one. Art education can help, but of course, it’s not mandatory.
How do you see the future of art in the age of AI?
I’m glad I create real pictures with real paint using my very real hands. I suspect that in the future, art made by humans will gain more significance in a sea of AI-generated art. As a tool, artists will definitely push AI to its limits, as they should. In that sense, I do think it’s important for artists to remain familiar with new technologies, test their boundaries, and use them for artistic ideas and concepts. I think about how Warhol experimented with the then-new video format and, with his unconventional artistic vision and approach, had a strong influence on the film industry.
What is your opinion on the topic of NFT?
I find them exciting. They have a bad reputation, but serious artists seem to be using them – for example, Hirst’s experiment with his artworks, where you could choose either the NFT version or the physical one. If you chose the NFT, the physical artwork was destroyed. This raises interesting questions – what is the original? Where does monetary value lie? What is collector value? How does resale work on the secondary or tertiary market? Ownership and copyright are being questioned. I think if you’re very well-known, you can make a lot of money. Otherwise, I don’t know if it’s really worth it. I looked into it once, but at that time, creating an NFT was too expensive. I believe there are now cheaper ways to do it. But yes, why not? Another field where art can explore new technologies.
Who do you show a new work to first?
Whoever happens to see it first. It’s usually other artists in my studio complex who drop by for a chat. Sometimes a work goes directly to the gallery, then it’s the gallerist, which can be daunting.
What does the first hour of your day look like?
Preparing breakfast and a lunchbox for my son while doing yoga whilst the kettle boils. Then my son arrives. I goof around with him and send him off to school with some silly mum wisdom. This time is scheduled with military precision, and heaven help us if Joshua’s dad arrives too early and disrupts everything! Then I make my sacred hot drink, enjoy it while doom-scrolling or bird-watching. Then I pull myself together, give myself a kick in the ass, and head to the studio in my van.
In the age of the Internet of Things, are galleries still necessary? If so, why and for what?
Absolutely! It cannot be that we “enjoy” art only through a screen. I want to experience the works in their full reality. For heaven’s sake, where would we be without galleries and museums?
Social media – blessing or curse?
That, of course, depends on how you use it. If you have a good handle on your usage, social media can serve as a tool, a thermometer, or a gauge of our time. However, too many people are dependent on whether they have received enough “likes.” That can’t be good…
EPILOGUE | CURRENT
The solo exhibition „frgmntd lmnts / lmntl frgmnts“ with works by Nicole Heinzel can be visited from 8. February until 5. April 2025 at the Galerie kajetan, Grolmannstr. 58, 10623 Berlin-Mitte. The exhibition is open Thursdays to Saturdays from noon to 6 pm. The exhibition is also open as part of the Charlottenwalk gallery tour on Friday, 14 March 2025 from noon to 9 pm and on Saturday, 15 March 2025 from noon to 6 pm.
DEEDS interviews are not edited or abridged by our editorial team and are always reproduced in the original sound. We therefore do not translate the interview into English or German unless the interviewee submits a translation or we are commissioned to do so. In this case, the German and English versions of the interview were submitted by the artist herself.
