INVOLVEMENT: WHAT WE CAN'T DO WITHOUT

Martin Weiser, 20, from Gera

The painterMartin, how did you start painting?

At school I did graffiti. I realised I could express myself through pictures. It is important to convey something and provoke some kind of reaction in people.

What feelings do you express?

A wide range of emotions. I can work very well when I am furious. The feeling pours onto paper and relaxes me. When I have painted well, I feel a lot more open towards people close to me.

Isn't painting lonely?

Sometimes I go into hiding for weeks and work on a painting. Then my friends come last. When I'm finished, I show them the painting, to make them understand me better: This is what I did, this is something coming from me.

How do your friends react?

The most common reaction is: You have a very individual style. And people always ask what the painting means. But I've had very enthusiastic responses. Sometimes I do not know why people consider one work good and another bad. I rate my paintings sometimes totally differently.

What kind of themes do you deal with?

I watch everyday life and the people who surround me. Out of this, I try to create something. Sometimes history provides topics. The theme of my first painting was war.

How important is painting to you?

I'll keep on doing this for a very long time. Painting allows me to get in touch with different things, because I deal intensively with myself and others. While I am painting I can get excited or amused in a totally different way. I dream of being able to make a living with my art one day.

Michael Kraske