Lowdown
I’ve always felt most useful when focused on work, so I never really had the time (or desire) to bother with personal branding and online publicity. But here, I’m giving you a glimpse beyond the portfolio, into the mix of what I do and what I love, revealing the person behind the projects.
Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I acquired one of my core skills: powerful information search in libraries. This skill developed immensely in the early days of the Internet, a time I like to refer to as the Tlön era, where I constantly searched for the most obscure and unknown bits of information. These were destined to exist only when someone was looking for them—my precious hrönir artefacts.
My inspiration hunt is pretty eclectic, stretching from the haunting beauty of opera to the gritty grace of butoh. It's like a playlist that jumps from classical music to the experimental without missing a beat. Speaking of beats, I've always been fascinated by the way directors like Chris Cunningham and Jean-Baptiste Mondino turn music videos into visual poetry, making every frame sing with Madonna or capturing the essence of Ryuichi Sakamoto in a single shot.
Throughout my lifetime, I've embraced a wide range of hobbies, from soldering in a radio club to film photography. Yet, one has persisted above all others since the late 90s: I am a fragrance collector. Far from calling myself a connoisseur or even a historian, but knowledgeable enough to share a few amusing stories about any of my ~X00 pieces, whether it's about a bottle or package design, unique ingredients, or the brand's story.
The scents themselves fascinate me with their ability to help the brain instantly capture a moment or an entire period, then revive it in no time as if it had just happened minutes ago. Not to mention my admiration for the talents behind these creations, who can design such experiences.
Among my most coveted treasures is Dry Clean from Series 6: Synthetic by Comme des Garçons, a scent I'm pursuing on a global quest. The ultimate finds to this moment? They have to be the very first formulas of Kouros, Macassar, Antaeus, and Selenion by Pola.
Ever since my childhood, I've been visiting the local library every other day after school to check if there's anything left unread. I enjoy the quirky language of Tennessee Williams, the sophisticated yet lighthearted humour of John Steinbeck, and, yes, the stories of the 87th Precinct, guilty as charged. Among all the Russian writers, I prefer Ilya Ilf, Anatoly Mariengof, and Vladimir Nabokov. My favourite novel of all times is still ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel García Márquez. As for the non-fiction, that would be Frazer's ‘The Golden Bough’.
In recent years, ‘A Gloom is Cast Upon the Ancient Steps’ by Alexander Chudakov and ‘The Kindly Ones’ by Jonathan Littell have been my most enjoyable reads, despite the latter's challenging nature. For 2024, I'm setting my sights on the new translation of ‘Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle’ by Nabokov.
Back in my younger and more audacious days, I took a few risks that left a unique mark. The result? My nudes occasionally pop up in exhibitions around Berlin and find their way into a book or even two. Just one of those quirky twists life throws at you.