A CONVERSATION WITH PASCAL MÖHLMANN AND YVONNE REICHMUTH OF YVY
PASCAL MÖHLMANN AND YVONNE REICHMUTH DENY A PIGEONHOLED LABELING OF THEIR BOLD, SENSATIONAL ARTS AND CRAFTS AS PROVOCATIVE. IN AN INTERVIEW ON THEIR JOINT VENTURE IN THE EXPLORATION OF SKIN- DEEP BEAUTY, THE TWO INDEPENDENT MINDS BLITHELY DISCUSS THEIR SHARED INSTINCTIVE TASTES FOR, AMONG OTHER THINGS, SUBTLE HUMOR, AESTHETIC EXPRESSIVENESS AND AN OLD-FASHIONED PREFERENCE FOR EXPERIENCING ART IN PHYSICAL REALITY THAT PAVED THE WAY FOR THE CO-MAKING OF THE THREE PIECES OF ARCHAIC ARMOR DEDICATED TO AN IMAGINED WOMAN.
THESE BEAUTIFUL PIECES CAN BE SEEN AS EMBLEMS OF THE STRENGTH AND RESILIENT FEMININITY PERSISTENTLY REFLECTED IN YVY’S LEATHER DESIGN, AS WELL AS TOKENS OF COURAGE AND PERSEVERANCE THAT HAS MADE THIS INDEPENDENT BRAND THRIVE AND SHINE IN ITS UNWAVERING WAY.
HOW DID THIS COLLABORATION COME ABOUT?
PASCAL MÖHLMANN: EVER SINCE I CAME ACROSS THE BRAND MANY YEARS AGO, I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO SOMETHING TOGETHER WITH YVONNE BECAUSE I LIKE HER WORK SO MUCH ― IT HAS AN “OLD” QUALITY. ALTHOUGH WE KNEW EACH OTHER ONLY CASUALLY FOR A LONG TIME, I ALWAYS HAD THE FEELING THAT WE WOULD CLICK. WE FINALLY GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER DURING A STUDIO VISIT AND THERE WAS AN INSTANT SPARK BETWEEN US. IT WAS A COMPLETELY ORGANIC OCCURRENCE FOR ME, AS IF THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY AROUND IT. WE SIMPLY HAVE GREAT CHEMISTRY.
YVONNE REICHMUTH: THERE ARE SO MANY COMMON INTERESTS AND SUBJECT AREAS THAT WE SHARE, EVEN THOUGH WE DO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS.
FOR EXAMPLE?
YVONNE: WE FEEL A STRONG CONNECTION TO THE PUNK CULTURE, FOR EXAMPLE. AND BOTH OF US ARE OFTEN PIGEONHOLED AS “PROVOCATIVE”. BUT THIS ADJECTIVE PLAYS NO ROLE AT ALL IN OUR RE- SPECTIVE WORKS. WHILE OTHERS FIND NUDE BODY PARTS IN A PAINTING OR LEATHER ON NAKED SKIN ON A PHOTO PROVOCATIVE, WE SEE THIS SIMPLY AS AN AESTHETIC EXPRESSION. THESE “MISUNDERSTANDINGS” AMUSE ME, IN A SIMILAR WAY THAT MANY ELEMENTS IN PASCAL’S PAINTINGS DON’T HAVE TO BE TAKEN SO SERIOUSLY.
PASCAL: YES, THERE ARE ALWAYS TRIVIAL THINGS TO DISCOVER IN MY PAINTINGS.
BUT YVY DESIGNS ARE NOT EXACTLY KNOWN FOR THEIR AMUSING SIDE, ARE THEY?
YVONNE: IT’S TRUE THAT I CAN’T DO ANYTHING WITH “FUNNY FASHION”. I LIKE IT TO BE A LITTLE MORE SUBTLE. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN YOU OPEN OUR LEATHER CIGARETTE BOX, YOU DISCOVER THE WARNING “LIVING KILLS” EMBOSSED WITH SILVER. OR ON A BUSTIER, THE INSIDE OF WHICH IS DECORATED WITH HUNDREDS OF SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS. BUT YOU CAN ONLY SEE THESE GLITTERING STONES WHEN YOU LOOK INTO THE NECKLINE FROM ABOVE. IT IS LIKE A KIND OF SECRET FOR THE WEARER AND A SURPRISE FOR ALL THOSE WHO INTENTIONALLY LOOK DOWN INTO THE WEARER’S CLEAVAGE.
PASCAL: WHEN I PAINT PEOPLE NAKED, OFTEN WOMEN, IT IS OFTEN PERCEIVED AS PORNOGRAPHIC. I DON’T THINK MUCH OF IT, IT’S JUST MY DUTCH REALISTIC GAZE, WHICH IS THE PURE OPPOSITE OF AN OVERLY RETOUCHED BARBIE AESTHETIC.
YVONNE: AND WHEN I DESIGN A LEATHER HARNESS, I USE LINES TO EMPHASIZE THE CURVES OF THE BODY. MANY PEOPLE THINK OF FETISH CLOTHING, BUT THERE IS NO SUCH INTENTION BEHIND, JUST A LOVE FOR BEAUTIFUL PROPORTIONS AND THE MATERIAL.
BUT YOU ARE AWARE THAT YOUR DESIGNS AND PAINTINGS EVOKE CORRESPONDING ASSOCIATIONS?
PASCAL: YES, THEY ARE NEVER INTENTIONAL, BUT THEY ARISE QUITE NATURALLY.
YVONNE: ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS THE “RING BRACELET” AND “RING CHOKER”, WHICH IS OFTEN SEEN AS A SYMBOL OF BELONGING TO THE BDSM SCENE.
PASCAL: CONVERSELY, MANY A WINKING DETAIL IS NOT RECOGNIZED AS SUCH: ON A SMALL STILL LIFE I ONCE STAGED A SMALL ROSEBUD BUTT PLUG. MY ACQUAINTANCES LIKED THE PICTURE SO MUCH THAT THEY WANTED TO BUY IT, ALTHOUGH THEY PERCEIVED THE ANAL PLUG AS A SALT SHAKER. WHEN I ENLIGHT- ENED THEM, THEY LIKED THE PICTURE EVEN MORE. I CHOSE THE OBJECT FOR THE STILL LIFE SIMPLY FOR AESTHETIC REASONS, BECAUSE IT HAS A BEAU- TIFUL SHAPE ― NOT
FOR THE SAKE OF PRO- VOCATION.
BEAUTY SEEMS TO BE ONE OF YOUR FIRST SELECTION CRITERIA WHEN CHOOSING YOUR SUBJECTS, RIGHT?
PASCAL: YES!
HOW DID THE SUBJECTS FOR THE PROJECT WITH YVY COME ABOUT?
PASCAL: WE FIRST DISCUSSED THE COLLABORATION IN JULY. YVONNE TOLD ME ABOUT HER BOOK PROJECT, BUT I COULDN’T THINK OF ANYTHING CONCRETE RIGHT AWAY. SHE THEN MADE SOME INITIAL SUGGESTIONS.
YVONNE: ACTUALLY, IT WAS MY DREAM TO HAVE A MÖHLMANN PAINTING ON ONE OR MORE YVY ACCESSORIES ONE DAY.
PASCAL: AT FIRST WE DIDN’T KNOW WHETHER IT WAS TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE TO PAINT WITH OIL COLORS ON LEATHER. BUT AFTER SOME MATERIAL TESTS WE HAD THE CERTAINTY THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE.
YVONNE: IN THE FIRST TEST, THE LEATHER ABSORBED THE PAINT TOO FIRMLY. THE SECOND MATERIAL TEST WITH COATED LEATHER THEN SATISFIED US.
PASCAL: IT WAS NOT EASY TO PAINT ON LEATHER, ESPECIALLY ON BLACK. I ALSO LEARNED SOME- THING NEW AND PAINTED THE SKIN WITH A NEW RED. NORMALLY, I’VE BEEN USING THE SAME PIG- MENTS FOR SKIN ― NO MATTER WHAT ETHNICITY ― FOR YEARS, SUCH AS A VERMILION WITH COLD UMBER NATURAL BROWN. FOR THE PAINTINGS ON THE LEATHER SKIN, I ALSO USED PERMANENT RED FOR THE SKIN PARTS FOR THE FIRST TIME.
YVONNE: PASCAL WANTED TO INTEGRATE MY FACIAL FEATURES AND HAD ME POSE SCREAMING, AMONG OTHER THINGS. ALTHOUGH CREATIVELY HE HAD ABSOLUTE FREEDOM, I WANTED PARTS NOT ONLY OF ME BUT ALSO OF HIM TO BE IMMORTALIZED.
YVONNE, WHAT IS IT THAT FASCINATES YOU ABOUT PASCAL’S WORK?
YVONNE: THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS: THE REFERENCE TO OLD MASTERS, THE HOMAGE TO THE CRAFT OF TRADITIONAL PAINTERS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME PASCAL’S CONTEM- PORARY TAKE ON IT. I ALSO HAVE A STRONG FASCINATION WITH TECHNIQUES OF TRADI- TIONAL CRAFTS IN MY WORK, BUT I INTERPRET THEM IN MY OWN WAY. BOWING TO ANCIENT ARTS AND MEANWHILE USING THEM IN A MODERN WAY IS ANOTHER PARALLEL BETWEEN PASCAL’S WORKS AND MINE.
ARE THERE CERTAIN WORKS BY PASCAL THAT YOU PARTICULARLY LIKE?
YVONNE: ON THE DOOR IN HIS STUDIO HANGS A POSTER OF THE NEUMARKT THEATER, ON WHICH KNEELS A NAKED MAN...
PASCAL: THAT’S THE ACTOR MAX KRAUSE. HE WEARS NOTHING BUT HIS SOCKS IN THE PICTURE.
YVONNE: WHAT FASCINATES ME MOST ABOUT THIS PAINTING IS ITS EXPRESSION.
PASCAL: I’M VERY HAPPY THAT YOU MENTIONED THIS PAINTING, BECAUSE IT WAS EXTREMELY EASY FOR ME TO PAINT IT. IT TOOK ME ABOUT FOUR HOURS. I THINK IT’S QUITE GOOD MYSELF.
WHY?
PASCAL: FOR ME IT HAS THAT EFFORTLESSNESS THAT I FIND EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL LATELY. I FIND THINGS THAT SEEM EFFORTLESS VERY EXCITING AND IT’S A HIGHLY DESIRABLE ART FOR ME.
YVONNE: MY TEAM HAS OFTEN BEEN AMAZED AT HOW QUICKLY I DESIGN THINGS. FOR MANY OUTSIDERS, MY DESIGN PROCESS ALSO HAS A CERTAIN EFFORTLESS- NESS. YET I OFTEN CARRY MY IDEAS AROUND IN MY HEAD FOR A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I IMPLEMENT THEM IN NO TIME AT ALL.
YVONNE: HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO PAINT THE YVY PARTS?
PASCAL: I SIMPLY DON’T KNOW. ANYWAY, I PAINTED EACH FRAGMENT IN ONE GO.
YVONNE: AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE VALKYRIE THAT YOU LISTENED TO WHILE PAINTING THE YVY PARTS?
PASCAL: I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO WAGNER’S “DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN” BACK AND FORTH FOR MONTHS. I CAN’T STOP AND I’M REALLY ADDICTED TO THIS MUSIC, EVEN THOUGH I’VE NEVER READ THE STORY. THE “RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES”, WHICH YOU KNOW FROM THE MOVIE “APOCALYPSE NOW”, IS LIKE A DRUG: IT BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES EVERY TIME. THIS PIECE WAS ALSO THE SOUNDTRACK FOR THE YVY PARTS. IT HAS SOMETHING MILITANT, BUT FOR ME ALSO SOMETHING FRIENDLY. I SEE THE VALKYRIES AS BRATS, TOUGH GIRLS WITH GIRL POWER. THEY GO WELL WITH THE YVY PIECES, WHICH LOOK LIKE ELEGANT, ARCHAIC ARMOR. ON THE THEME OF “COURAGE”, I WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHING ELEGANT THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH PERSONAL VICTORIES AND COURAGE. I WANTED TO TRANSLATE THESE THEMES INTO MY CREATION OF BEAUTY.
ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE RESULT?
YVONNE: I AM MEGA-HAPPY. IT’S ART, AFTER ALL. IT THRIVES ON THE FACT THAT IT NEEDS TIME TO LOOK AT AND EXPERIENCE IN A REAL, PHYSICAL WAY. NO INSTAGRAM CAN GET THAT ACROSS, AS THE EMOTIONS ONLY COME UP IN THE REAL ENCOUNTER.
IS OUR VIEW TOO MUCH INFLUENCED BY THE WAY IT IS PRESENTED ON SCREENS?
YVONNE: YES IT IS, AND IT WAS A REAL LUXURY WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE PIECES WHILE PHOTOGRAPHING THEM FOR SIX HOURS. IT’S LIKE LISTENING TO A SONG ON YOUR PHONE AND THEN EXPERIENCING IT AT A LIVE CONCERT.
WHAT HAPPENS WITH THESE PIECES?
YVONNE: I WANT TO EXHIBIT THEM AND SHOW THEM TO PEOPLE. THEY ARE NOT MEANT TO BE SOLD. THEY ARE YVY’S FIRST UNIQUE PIECES.
SO THEY ARE WORKS OF ART.
YVONNE: YES, THEY ARE NOT MEANT TO BE WORN, BECAUSE THE LEATHER WOULD BEND AND THE COLOR WOULD BECOME BRITTLE. THEY ARE ART OBJECTS, WITH THREE PARTS THAT BELONG TOGETHER, AS A KIND OF ARCHAIC ARMOR FOR
AN IMAGINARY WOMAN.
PASCAL, YOU ALSO ADDED A YVY BELT TO ONE OF YOUR OWN PAINTINGS ― WHY?
PASCAL: YES, I HAD BEEN WORKING ON THIS PAINTING FOR TWO MONTHS. I WAS STILL MISSING A BELT FOR THE WOMAN’S DRESS. AT SOME POINT, WHEN THE YVY ACCESSORIES WERE STILL IN MY STUDIO, I HAD THE INSPIRATION TO INTEGRATE THE “MOON BELT” INTO THE PAINTING. AFTER JUST A FEW BRUSHSTROKES I REALIZED THAT IT JUST HAD TO BE THAT WAY ― IT WAS MEANT TO BE. THE BELT FITS FORMALLY PERFECTLY WITH THE PAINTING AND IS AT THE SAME TIME A TRIBUTE TO YVY. HER DESIGN ENHANCES THE WHOLE IMAGE.
WILL YOU BE DOING ANY OTHER PROJECTS TOGETHER IN THE FUTURE?
PASCAL: I HAVE A HUNCH THAT IT WON’T STAY WITH THIS ONE COLLABORATION. IN ANY CASE, IT WOULD MAKE ME HAPPY.
YVONNE: DON’T SAY THAT, MY HEAD IS ALREADY STARTING TO SPIN...