Unfolding Practice : Interview with Vian Borchert (English ver.)

Q. Welcome to u1 Gallery. We are grateful you are joining us. To begin, could you introduce yourself and share how your journey in art began?  

A. My name is Vian Borchert, I am an accomplished artist who has been creating art for decades. I was born with an artistic talent starting with infancy that has been shaped and refined through education and support by my family, and dedicated teachers from an early point. I went to study fine arts with a scholarship at the Corcoran College of Art & Design George Washington University in Washington DC and continued in that line of field throughout my life. Besides creating art for decades, I am an art educator of 20 years teaching adults fine art classes in the Washington DC area. I've had my paintings on exhibit in museums and key galleries worldwide.

Q. Reflecting on your practice, is there a work or series that felt like a turning point, and what changed for you afterward?  

A. Early in my exploration of abstraction, I drew profound inspiration from waterfalls and rain following a transformative visit to Niagara Falls in Canada. Experiencing the tight catacomb tunnels behind the falls and standing mere steps from the thunderous rush of water, evidently left a remarkable impression on my visual memory. Upon returning to the Washington DC area, I began developing a series of abstract blue waterfall and rain paintings that quickly gained momentum and recognition.

Much of the work created during the 2010’s period has since been sold through “1stDibs” auction houses and acquired by embassies in Washington DC, as well as by private collectors. This body of early abstraction proved highly influential within modern abstract art, shaping an aesthetic that later became a significant trend across the art and design worlds. Despite this influence, unfortunately, limited attribution and recognition have been formally acknowledged in relation to my role as an originator of this look and abstract style.

As a deeply creative artist, I continue to evolve developing new series of work and expanding the possibilities of contemporary abstraction through my singular vision and innovative approach. Over time, I came to understand that I possess a unique capability to reshape artistic movements and influence the direction of contemporary abstraction and visual culture through philosophy, and a distinctly personal perspective.

Q. Could you describe a recent moment in your studio that captures your current process, and how it differs from your earlier ways of working?  

A. In the past, I would stay up all night working in my studio, during the silent hours when the world had gone to sleep. Lately, I have taken the opposite direction, waking up at the crack of dawn to work feverishly on my paintings before anyone else is awake. Once others begin to awake, I stop, as noise and movement distract me and break my deep connection to my inner visual world and the subconscious space where all creative matter takes place. I also begin each day’s work with a strong cup of freshly brewed coffee to ignite my creative juices and energy, so to speak. I am, undeniably, a coffee lover.

Blues and Greens

Q. Which artists, movements, or specific works are most present in your practice, and how do they appear in your forms or materials?  

A. As a longtime practicing artist and art educator, I have studied and taught numerous art movements and the works of master artists that have shaped art history. While there are several movements and styles that I personally favor over others, I do not typically incorporate them directly into my own work; instead, I admire them in museums and through art books. That said, if I were to pinpoint a defining influence, I am a painter through and through, and the French Impressionist movement particularly the work of Claude Monet has been a great source of inspiration.

Monet’s ability to capture light and shadow through rapid, expressive brushstrokes, while evoking feelings of joy and rejuvenation, has always resonated deeply with me. I am especially drawn to his iconic Water Lilies series, which can be found in major museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and museums in Paris. I also teach Monet’s work in my art classes when covering Impressionist approaches and the study of historic artists who reshaped art history through their vision and practice.

As a painter, I love working with a wide array of brushes and always keep an abundant supply of paint tubes in varying pigment hues, ensuring that I never run out of color while in the midst of creation.

Q. Where do your sparks of inspiration come from these days, and how do you carry a spark through to a finished piece?  

A. My latest spark of inspiration has come from exploring spaces of urban decay. Living close to Baltimore, Maryland, and traveling frequently along the corridor from New York City to the Washington, DC area, I pass through pockets and urban communities that feel forgotten and represent a downturn in American urban development. These environments have become the source of my most recent works, which speak to urban decay not only in major cities such as New York, Baltimore, and Washington, DC, but also serve as a broader metaphor for a society in decay, desperately seeking repair.

Through new abstractions incorporating fallen bridges and teetering electric poles, I aim to awaken the viewer through my visual language and to call attention to the urgency of change before it is too late. This work serves as reminder to us that our world needs more kindness in every form: toward one another, our environments, and the spaces we inhabit. I titled this series “Electric”, as the work speaks to energy as a conduit for unseen forces that shape inner emotional and psychological states. These forces are communicated through color, gesture, and rhythm, functioning as channels for inner charge and external motion, with the ultimate goal of stirring viewers to work toward a better tomorrow.

Man

Q. Is there a specific place or environment that directly informed a piece, and how did that presence enter the work?  

A. Yes, my early landscape abstractions of snow mountains were inspired by a trip to the French Riviera, where I was struck by an almost photographic memory of standing on the pebbled beach near Nice, France, admiring the turquoise and aqua tones of the calming Mediterranean, then turning sharply to face the opposite direction and seeing the distant, snow tipped French Alps on the horizon. This vivid and striking moment became the source of many of my snow mountain paintings, which have since been collected by private collectors. As a matter of fact, some of these works are still available through leading global marketplaces such as “1stDibs” and “Artsy”, where my art can be viewed and acquired worldwide.

"1stDibs" link: https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/vian-borchert/art/

"Artsy" link: https://www.artsy.net/artist/vian-borchert

Q. How do you hope viewers move through or spend time with your work, and what kind of encounter or rhythm would you like them to experience?

A. I like my work to serve as a bridge and a visual language that brings viewers closer to the artwork, not only through looking, but through engaging with its message and symbolic significance. Much of my work, albeit abstract, is intended to evoke feelings of hope, peace, and rejuvenation in the viewer. In this way, my work goes beyond being a pleasing composition; it becomes a living visual experience that engages the mind, invites reflection, and encourages deeper thought.

Q. Has a viewer's reaction or participation ever changed how you developed a work, and if so, how did that unfold?  

A. Yes, I have witnessed this occur many times at exhibition openings, where a particular work of art becomes the focal point of conversation and viewers, often complete strangers, gather around it, circling it and discussing how the piece has visually and emotionally captured them. I have experienced this on multiple occasions and have even received letters from individuals who wrote poems in response to certain works of mine, especially my expressionist figurative pieces, whose facial expressions evoke strong and positive reactions. What I value most in observing these moments is seeing people who do not know one another become engaged through a shared experience of a work of art that ignited conversation and connection between strangers, united by how deeply the piece has moved them.

Electrical

Q. Can you recall a piece that surprised you or did not go as expected, and what it taught you?  

A. There are several pieces I’ve created that have sparked profound reactions within me. I vividly remember, in the 1990’s, painting from a live model, evolving the work at hand into something entirely different from the figure in front of me. The result was a fully abstracted composition of two figures: a bearded male form with a woman positioned behind him. I titled it “Life’s Burden.”

I created this piece during art school, and it quickly drew the attention of my fellow students, who were struck, some in shock, others in awe by what emerged from a simple model session resulting in an expressive work of abstract art, entirely different from the literal representation of the sitter. Its originality was so striking that even my art teacher, the late renowned artist William Christenberry, told me that if I continue making art in this line of style, I would go far in my career.

In many ways, he was right. I became one of the early pioneers in developing this novel approach to abstracting figures within abstracted fields, reimagining expressionist figurative work, and pushing it into uncharted territory within contemporary figurative art.

Q.  Which themes or images do you find yourself returning to, and how do you see them evolving now?  Are there specific themes or images you find yourself returning to, as if revisiting a familiar home? I’m curious how these elements are evolving in your work today.

A. Being born by the Mediterranean Sea and having spent most of my childhood summers vacationing along its shores, I find myself returning again and again to the Big Blue though my work. In a sense, my art is a revisit of those sweet childhood memories of voyages by the sea along with a return to the feel-good emotions of being near the sea, breathing in the salty air, feeling the gentle breeze, and gazing at the horizon, dreaming of what lies beyond.

As a child, and still as an adult, I have always been a dreamer. By looking at the blue sky and its white fluffy clouds, and taking in the beauty of the sea, I have discovered a sense of calm through its meditative aspects and serene, scenic views.

Winds Of Change

Q.  If you could realize your dream project tomorrow, what would it look like in terms of site, medium, collaborators, and how you would bring it to life?  

A. I would love to be invited to collaborate with the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, creating site-specific works that reflect the environment while expressing my signature blue abstraction aesthetics. My vision is to develop a project that elevates the soul through art, while opening a dialogue with the wider public through my vision as a creator and intellectual. By utilizing the Foundation’s expansive platform, I aim to create a visual conversation of a reflection and dialogue on the transformative role of art and its ability to enrich lives for the better.

Q.  What is a question people rarely ask about your work that you wish they did, and how would you answer it?

A. I can’t think of any, as I firmly believe that my art is meant to be open to interpretation, experienced differently by each person who encounters it, regardless of their background or perspective. For me, art represents a freedom of expression, not only for me as the creator, but also for those who engage with it. I strive to create an open field of experience, a space for visual exploration that allows viewers to feel free and interpret the work in their own way.

Contact

Artist : Vian Borchert 

Instagram : @vianborchert