Louise Prinz, Künstlerin der Sonne: „keep trying and you will get there“

Die ex-Model Louise Prinz wurde 1970 in Nairobi/Kenia geboren. Sie studierte Psychologie und Kommunikation in London. Seit sieben Jahren lebt sie in Österreich. Die engagierte Frau, die im Jahre 2004  von IFWP International als Ambassador for Peace ausgezeichnet wurde, ist heute eine gefragte Künstlerin. Vor kurzem präsentierte sie Ihre Gemälde bei der ersten Black European Women Kongress in Wien. Ein Gespräch mit simon INOU von afrikanet.info.

Afrikanet: Could you please introduce yourself?
Louise Prinz: My name is Louise Prinz and I come from the western part of Kenya, a region located on the shores of Lake Victoria, which is the second-largest fresh water lake in the world.

How long do you live in Vienna now?
This is going to be my seventh year.

 You are a painter
I can not really say I am a painter. I’m an artist, sculptor, illustrator, painter, community development consultant among others.

Could you please tell us more about your paintings? Why did you start to paint?
Why did I start to paint? Let me start by saying about how I got into art. I had a master who is a world-famous sculptor.

In Africa or in Europe?
In Steiermark. So I got the influence and education from him as I started to get interested in art, although previously I was always into the works of Michael Angelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and so I got into it more when I met my master. And so I started by reading about art, famous painters, their life’s, their style, and then I started to learn how to sketch.

In School or privately?
Privately at home. And in fact it became an obsession. I used to sketch all the time, always. Yes, and then, I found a lot of inner peace in sketching and painting. And then when I experienced hardships in my life, I started to use colour, you know. And that’s when I developed my style using bright colours, yes.

Why did you use bright colours?
Because of the peace it gave me. And also whenever I look at my paintings, I always feel very happy and inspired.

Does classical music play a role for you and your art?
A great role, a very big role. When I listen to Mozart for example, or Bach or Erik Satie, of course it takes you to another level of thinking, you know? The inspiration, what it does to your consciousness and the tempo, and when I’m painting really hard, I listen to Vivaldi. The rhythm, of the music just inspires and inspires, and you put all the power and the energy in the painting.

Which influence has the African art in your paintings?
Well, my brother is a very good artist, he lives in Copenhagen. And he sends me a lot of his work. Though he learned it at the University in Africa, in Uganda – Maker ere University of Uganda. I look up my brother’s work, and of course I learn from other African painters. And the colours are very inspiring, you know. Although they s are slightly two-dimensional but beautiful to look at. My brother goes a little bit into 3 dimensions. But he paints mainly two-dimensional figures. And I love his colours. So of course I get influences of African artists by their use of colour.

Which meaning has freedom in your paintings?
Birds, they fly in the air,

Are you inspired by the situation of black people here?
O yes and No. I have been fortunate enough to meet some great Africans in the international community and also From the Diplomatic agencies for example I get a lot of support from the Kenyan Embassy with the Help of the Ambassador and his members of staff I also have the chance to work closely with Alexis Neuberg and his Radio Afrika team, and he happens to be one of my mentors, Beatrice Achaleke too is one of the few Africans that I greatly admire and some of my close Africans friends too offer great love and support and of course you simon INOU are one of the many Africans that I admire…

No too in the sense that Austria still continues to lack behind when it comes to setting up policies that protect the Interests of the Africans, although they are trying by introducing integration programs and I think more emphasis needs to be put in sensitizing the government on the need to implement laws that that would protect not only what they consider the minority but also the Black community, they should also follow trends that other EU nations have set especially anti discrimination and equality laws.

How do you paint it?
In different forms, although my style is influenced by the use of shapes, patterns and symbols which fall on a bright background. I create space from Fantasy which to the eyes of the viewer seem realistic, and they bring out a lot of beauty too and charm. I also mainly work in series, with the first one having been Inner beauty of Austrian impact, which carries a lot of information all put together on canvas. And it goes on and on at the moment this is being exhibited at a golf club in Vienna known as Süssenbrunn organized by UNGC President Edward Wokabi which will run until end of November   

What do you do with the negative perspectives?
I look at them as challenges, and it is good to use these challenges as a learning point, or as a learning experience. If you look at it from a positive side. Because sometimes we experience challenges, and it’s just a matter of how patient you are and how you actually look at it. Because problems and challenges in life will always be there. We were born, and we found challenges, when we will die, we will leave challenges here. So it just depends on how you look at it. And another aspect in my paintings is – especially for people who have reached a higher level of their existence-

For example?
For example, if you are a politician, a banker or just someone who had control of their resources, had a good family and everything. And then suddenly we lose all those things. My message is not to give up. To always just keep trying. And keep trying and keep trying and eventually you will get there. And every time you pick yourself up, you will get into a much higher level of existence than you were before. So, that is   the messages that I have in the paintings.

How do you feel being an Austrian?
Well, the truth is that I did not have a very beautiful experience in Austria. I had a lot of challenges, a lot of pain. And a lot was taken away from me. Especially the things that mattered the most. So I had to take the step and look at it from a positive perspective in the sense that even the people who sometimes hurt you do so not because they intend to hurt but because maybe they are just afraid, or they think they are doing the right thing. But they don’t realize that they are causing so much pain. So that’s my experience in Austria and I had to do a lot of forgiving and so now I am here – I live.

Did you learn something about this from Christian point of view?
Yes.  I have always – I went to a catholic school.

Thank you.
Thank you too. 

Dieses Interview erschien am 12. Oktober 2007 auf Afrikanet.info