Interview with Painter and Sculptor Bernadetta Tajs

Artist Bernadetta Tajs, who completed her arts education in Krakow, Poland,  explores the light hearted side of life, using her own imagination as a starting point for her painting and sculptures. We interview the artist.

A: What has inspired the fantastical elements in your work?
BT: The ideas for my paintings always stem from my own fantasy and personal interests. I try to refrain from being too literal and precise with my artwork; instead of spelling out the message, I want the viewers to create their own interpretation and figure it out for themselves. I am imaginative and have a knack for fantasising, which is something I use to my advantage. I will paint almost anything, and if people don’t like it, it’s really all the better. One of the things I strive for through my art is evoking a strong sense of emotion and opinion from the viewer. I want my art to be received with polarity. I want to provoke the viewer to feel something, whether it be good or bad. In other words, being able to create conflicting views about my art is what drives me.

I am a person who tries hard not to get hung up on the negative aspects of life – there is plenty of that to be found in our day-to-day lives. I feel it is crucial to break free from the restraints and norms of the everyday world and instead, view the world from a different perspective with a fresh pair of eyes. While a strawberry may suggest consumption and pleasure for one person, it may mean something completely different to another. The world is not black and white; we all have our own opinions, and art should be open to all forms of interpretation and views. In my paintings, I frequently use fantastic elements as a form of symbolism. In one for example, two wolves symbolise two homosexual men, whilst the apple is a symbol of sin. In addition, I often allude to the “Dionysian element” in my paintings. Personally, I believe that we are all too puritanical, and so my response to this is by emphasising the true, animalistic side of human nature.

A: What is it that attracts you to using bright colours in your paintings?
BT: Simply put, bright colours are beautiful. They speak louder than other colours, and I’ve found that many people react strongly to them. There must be a reason behind these conflicting responses, and perhaps we as artists must train the viewer to understand by exposing them to strange or atypical elements. Bright colours are naturally associated with fun and joy, which is highly reflective of life itself, which is colourful, vivid and full of pleasures. Life and all its pleasures are meant to be enjoyed, and I believe that this notion is apparent in my paintings through bright colours. I use these bright colours to symbolise the pleasures of life, once again stressing that life is not simply black and white.

A: You have previously created sculpture using acrylic glass, do you have any plans to work in this medium again?
BT: I often find myself drawn to a number of different media, as they all have their own unique properties, and each one can be used differently in order for me to express my artistic vision. Acrylic glass for example, is a fantastic medium through which I can communicate more otherworldly and ethereal subjects. I love exploring new methods when it comes to creating and executing my artwork, and exploring different forms of media allows me to do so

A: How do you envisage your work developing in the future?
BT: My dream is to change the way art is seen and received in the lives of regular people. I want fine art, original art, to be appreciated and wholly consumed, seeing as it is often overlooked and forgotten in our day-to-day lives. My goal is for art to be just as accessible and prevalent in the lives of ordinary people as it is for artists. Art should have no boundaries, no restrictions, and should have a place in everybody’s life. My wish is therefore that art be found at home, instead of in galleries.

Explore Bernadetta’s work at www.bernadettatajs.se.

To see her listing in the Artists’ Directory in Aesthetica Magazine issue 66 pick up a copy at www.aestheticamagazine.com

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Credits:
1. Bernadetta Tajs, Om jag skulle gå till paradiset så blir det så akryl på duk 2014. Courtesy of the artist.