Interview: 'What Remains In Our Personal Soul'

This interview with Vanessa German is on the driving force of her work, her influence from experience, politics, her history and of her community.

The title of this interview is what initially drew me to read this. I have found this piece interesting  because of its focus on German’s process, it has been useful to read about the motivations for German's art whilst getting started on this project. 

German always uses personal and symbolic materials, for example products from the home and domestic cleaning products from the 1950s. ‘The promise to make things brighter’ and the ‘idea of Americanism and beauty are communicated through them,’ and through looking at these within the sculpture she invites the viewer to call on their own experiences.

Sharing her personal story is what started her activism, in German’s first poetry performance she wrote about what mattered to her: her sister who has MS and knowing what an AK-47 was for her whole life. Now as an activist, she requests the audience to ask questions and invites them to dance, her performances are on the spot so that the audience can participate and connect with her and each other through being creative and vulnerable together.