Is there a specific environment or material that's integral to your work?
Materiality and site-specificity lie at the basis of my work; I like bringing traditional techniques
like weaving or printmaking into a space so the two can intertwine. When I started working with soap, I found it inherently relating to the context of a home. It’s a material that disappears through usage and that brings us in physical relation with absence, carrying memory through
scent and shape. Other materials that keep coming back are bronze and copper; I love the way they change over time, especially through touch. I think I have a special interest in materials that live their own lives. Working with them is more like a conversation than anything else.
Why do you want to make art?
I see art as a materialized way to ask questions, and it is also a way to make poetry part of my daily life.
Tell us about your techniques for overcoming creative blocks.
Getting inspired is getting bored and not doing anything about it; feeling uncomfortable for a
while and finding peace in that. Reading can help, being surrounded by nature too. I love
beautiful materials like wood and certain metals; just working with them can help me to get to
work. Something else that always helps me is to talk to mentors that I met along the way. They all have different practices, ages and backgrounds. I send them emails or letters, but sitting in silence together is usually most helpful. If none of that works, I try getting obsessed over something that I can collect, physically or in pictures, like dead birds, chewing gum, used soap or broken down houses.
How do you collaborate with other artists?
I just finished a residency at Cas-co in Leuven with four other artists. It was a lovely process
where we invited each other into our practices through materiality; we shared techniques, food and stories. For me, working together is generally a way to get into conversation, whether that be with material, space or with other practices.
Elisa is deel van de Vruchtbare Grond Expo van 17 september tot en met 25 september