Tomio Koyama Gallery Tokyo - Kyoto | TKG Editions　Ginza - Kyoto

I guess there is a very special thing about the presentation of original works because it is the only chance to see them face-to-face which is like meeting a person in flesh and blood.

——— Could you explain to us the reason for the title of the show？*1

Brungs The title of the show derives from the title of a poem by Georg Heym. This poem is mentioned in a letter from Hugo Ball to Emmy Hennings. In this letter, Ball praises Baudelaire and Heym as great artists. He compares Heym with Baudelaire and sais that the poem "Die Schläfer" or English: "the sleepers" are actually better than any specific poem of Baudelaire's works.
I don't want to judge, but I really like this poem, especially how Georg Heym expresses the metaphors.

——— the image of the sleepers？

Brungs Yes, the sleep itself is pictured as a bird flying in the sky. It is flying over huge trees under which the dead persons recline. In the poem, they are not dead, they are sleeping. They rest under the roots of trees, which fed from the bodys.
It's not only that I agree with Ball that it is a very strong poem, with the letter I mentioned, this poem connects Hugo Ball, Emmy Hemming, and Gerorg Heym, the three protagonists of this show. This is why I chose it.

——— The way you present your work, you seem to be interested not only in painting but also in installation.*2

Brungs I like to show my works not only as a collection of single paintings. It is important to me, to use the situation of an exhibition as an installation that is supposed to carry a certain mood or atmosphere, which transforms the whole into more then just an addition of single pieces.
Maybe it is as well because I used to do more three-dimensional work, when I was at art school. Back at that time I studied under professors for sculpture and did as well drawings. I found my way to actual painting a bit later.

I guess there is a very special thing about the presentation of original works because it is the only chance to see them face-to-face which is like meeting a person in flesh and blood. Something you will never experience in a book or catalogue.
The specific situation of a space in which the original pieces are presented is another point. You have a number of single pieces in one room and something will happen in this space that is in between the pieces, whether you want it or not. There will be a communication of colours, shapes and forms. The depicted persons will as well communicate with one another and in addition to this, there will be a communication with the architecture. As this is a solid parameter, we want to make the best of it.

Therefore it is important to present the pieces in a way, every single one profits from. As my paintings are rather intimate, it comforts the situation to do a bit more than showing them on white walls. I decided to do something specific with a small effort. The idea of putting up papers on the wall as I did in this show, was very nearby because it is easy to prepare, I was convinced that it matches with the mood of the work and it is easy to transport.
I like the idea of using regular A4 copy sheets. Cheap paper, familiar to everybody and another point I like: they are produced for writing. As this show is about writers, I thought it might give a good connection.
These sheets I dyed with red wine. This is where their bluish and yellowish texture derives from. I like how they turned out to be! *3

——— Why did you choose German Expressionism? Do you feel sympathy to this era? *4

Brungs I like reading literature of this time and I do feel sympathy for theses poets. I guess the personal connection to the characters I paint, matters a lot to me.
In the time of their lives, many things happened and the world changed dramatically. I like to see how this change leaves marks in their lives. I want to see through them.

——— May I ask about your technique of the painting? How do you achieve their unique look? *5 *6 *7 *8

Brungs I paint on chalk priming with a lot of layers. I coat the canvas with very liquid paint. The darker parts have up to 50 layers while I apply fewer layers on the brighter parts. I use no white colour at all. The basement turns out to be the source of light in the paintings.
Using chalk priming is a very old method, which is rarely used today. I guess the way I actually deal with the paint on the canvas is not specifically traditional but developed by my own practice.

——— How was your art school for you?

Brungs I don't know if it is really possible to study art and I guess art school is a mill that can turn you upside down but after all it was a very important time for me. Especially, because I was forced to filter all the influences. I studied mainly under professor Fritz Schwegler, who became briefly famous through Documenta 5, 1972.
I do respect him and I think he was a good professor because he would never force us into something but he arranged us to trust in our own and unique skills. It is funny though that one thing he didn't appreciate was oil painting. I guess because he saw it as a trap. He would champion art that challanges it's own thechnique and expression. Once you do something that is so burdened by antecessors as oil painting actually is, there would be no option but being compared to them.
I think it's different now. Whilst in the 60s and 70s a lot of new artistic expressions proved to be possible, every formal expression is burdened, today. And I don´t see an objective in developing the fancy unseen image. My focus is more on the detail. I believe that it is a law of nature that every generation expresses specivic topics through their work of art, this does not have to include the revolutionary technique. I think in starting with the situation of having the full range, everything is just available today. The respect for painting equals the respect for computer art. Still, what I do appreciate a lot is how he values the initial idea of a work and how an idea and the sensitivity of material can form an alliance, which transfers the whole thing into much more. Into something that cannot be explained and which is therefore agravic.