INTERVIEW with Danny Germansen
Carmela Loiacono talks with Danny Germansen, who participated during RenovArt Video Screening Festival, from June 15 to 30, 2022 in Matera at Spazio Opera with “Inner Projections from a Broken Man (Remastered 2022)” and “Slave of the Mind”.
– How would you describe yourself and your artwork?
I’m a minimalist, expressionist and avantgardist, working with angst, human pain, melancholia, alienation and loneliness – My film/video work are mostly semiautobiographical works inspired by my life with a disability and a long life with neglect, physic abuse and depression. But I’m also starting to touch other subjects in my film work like political issues and philosophical issues. The first part of my film/video-art work has also been used as a form of art therapy for me. Working with and showing my pains, angst and loneliness to the world and thereby also in making these works, working with and analyzing my own pains and problems and thereby trying to cope with my illnesses. I would say that working with my problems thru art has helped me on the way to a form of healing. I also do a more colorful and playful, positive form of pop-art poster works and t-shirt designs.
– When is your favorite time of day to create?
In the morning, first thing, sometime even before having my first cop of tea. And then working all morning and the early hours. I think its because in the morning the thoughts in my mind are most clear, most pure and the ideas are more clear for me, then at the end of the day where other life issues has been infecting me. But also in the evening laying in my bed before sleeping I get many ideas and inspirations, I then write the ideas down on my iPhone and then start working with them sometimes next morning already or at a later point, after gathering ideas enough for a film script, then I start to write the script.
– Describe how art is important to society.
Art can tell stories and enlighten people on different subjects, like my movies about mental illness. But also make people happy, entertain and make them laugh, which I also thinks is very important, to feel good and get thru life. Or also as an escapism, tell good stories about friendship, fighting against the evil together and inspire, to give hope, give ideas and make people learn something about human behavior, history and so on.But also bring awareness about serious subjects. Sometimes when I look at art, there is the craft to admire, but also the idea behind the art puzzles me, and intrigued me. And thats entertainment also.
– What motivates you to create your works?
To be curious about solving puzzles on how to do my work. To see your ideas become physical, the craftsmanship and to see the end result, always a lust to tell new stories, try out new ideas. The zen of being creative and loose yourself in an illusion of make-believe, just like when you read a book or watch a film. To get lost in the idea, the concept. And step out of it again, and then move on to next project. I like telling stories in film, because you touch a subject while you work with it, and in the next film a new subject. That do for me I never get bored. Each film production is an adventure.
– On June 24, 2022 SLAVE OF THE MIND won best experimental film, best soundtrack and best poster at Cult Critics Movie awards. What have critics and collectors said about your work?
That it is a true influence, honest, brutal and direct description of mental illness. That many other filmmakers is not able to make this, because they don’t have the insight that I have. And that people who also suffer mental illness can maybe find comfort in watching the film and feel that they are not alone with their experience. And that it maybe can explain to common people how the pain of mental illness is manifesting itself on the person suffering. I talked to people who visits and treats mental ill patients, and they say, what my films depict is spot on the target. That these people exists but you don’t see them in public spaces. So most of society is not even aware of such lifes is being lived!
– How do you define success as an artist?
Being able to work and keep having ideas is the must important thing to me. And off-course also, that people want to interact with my art and me. Money and fame is not the driveforce for me, but just to work with interesting ideas and projects in film, video, music, poster art and t-shirts design is a dream come true to me. To get better with my craftsmanship in the disciplines i like to do, and also seeing myself evolve in ideas and touching different subjects is fullfiling for me. Trying always to do something new and maybe be progressive about it. And also as always work together with amazing people to fulfil a project, thats payment enough for me.
– What are your favorite and least favorite parts of professional art?
Least Favorite:
People who think themselves very important. And think they are geniuses. Too many pretentious artist around. No matter if you are considered a genius, it dose not give you the right to act like an asshole. Or think you are a God, the most important for me is the art, those who think their art will change the history of the world, are for me the most less interesting artists. And the jealousy other artist have towards a person who is doing good and better them, and trying to damage their succes. Some of those people behave like animals and are only about their own narcissisme and ego. I guess that’s a part of the world.
Most Favorite part:
To be able to meet kindred spirits and talk ideas and life. And to work with what is my favorite subjects and being creative and innovative at the same time.
– What are your new career goals?
Being more productive, and to eat up my to-do list. Maybe starting to experiment with green screen filmmaking, I’m starting to see some possibilities in story telling there. I had to close down pre-production of my latest short film Hunger-strike, due to covid-19, so hopefully I will get to resume work on that film. In the near future it is finishing and releasing some of the music I composed under the covid-19 lockdowns and to work with music videos also for my own music.
