How did your personal journey with art begin?

In a roundabout way. As a young girl I wanted to become an interior designer. But unfortunately the tradition of the family funeral parlour did not allow that. I took the classical commercial route and completed a bank apprenticeship before later taking over the management. During this time, I lived out my creativity and ability to mediate by atmospherically designing our commercial properties and making them accessible to the public through a wide variety of event programmes. This also included art exhibitions. The change in funeral culture - one could also say the change towards disposal - became unbearable for me. We sold the business and I was faced with the question of what to do.

It was my husband Peter who motivated me to start a creative degree in 2008. So I first completed a bachelor's degree at the Academy for Communication Design in Cologne. There it was the head of the academy, Prof. Dieter Schütz, who taught me holistic vision - the connection between design, art, architecture, literature and much more. I lived all this out in my final thesis. I conceived and designed an art event consisting of spatial installations that were geared towards interaction with the visitors. It also included all the communication material, including public relations, and the design of a book describing the event.

Interview Directory 

ART

Name: Elke Backes

Occupation: Art historian, art mediator, author

Achievements: Her critiques can establish art careers.

"I focus on the personality and the spatial environment of the artist."

What were your goals afterwards?

After completing my bachelor's degree, it was my dream to become an exhibition designer. Since I feared that I would not be taken seriously without the expertise in content, I continued my studies and studied art history in the Master's programme at the University of Düsseldorf. I then did my degree through the Kolumba Museum of the Archbishopric of Cologne. I was fascinated by Peter Zumthor's architecture, the history of the museum, the development of the collection and the current concept of mediation. Everything I loved was represented in this museum: art, crafts and design from the Middle Ages to the present day. 

To crown my academic career, I then decided to study for a doctorate. "Dominikus Böhm as Corporate Designer for the Camillian Order" was the title of my doctoral thesis, which I wrote about an unexplored ensemble of buildings in Mönchengladbach built by the great modernist church architect between 1929-1931. Looking back, I consider this work probably the greatest achievement of my life (laughs).

While I was still writing my dissertation, I visited the studio of the artist Johannes Gehrke in the summer of 2016 to pick up a work of art. This visit was so impressive that on the way back I found it downright unbearable not to be able to share this experience with other people. And it was precisely at this moment that the idea of creating my own art blog came into being.

I secured the domain ATELIERBESUCHE.COM on the same day (Editor's note, today elkebackes-artdialog.com.)

What distinguishes this blog from other art blogs?

The language and the layout. It was important to me not to use the specialist terminology that is common for art. I also wanted to inspire people for contemporary art who were reluctant to approach it in the first place due to a lack of understanding. That is why I write my studio visits as personal experience reports. Neither the presentation of a new art-historical insight nor the scientific classification is the aim. Rather, I focus on the personality and the spatial environment of the artist. 

"The photos in which I myself was pictured with the artists always elicited the greatest feedback."

You yourself are also part of the staging of your reports.

That's right. This has developed like a self-runner and has actually formed my branding. Usually the author remains rather invisible. My reports are always accompanied by a large number of pictures, which is why there is always a photographer present. After I realised from the reactions in the social media channels that the photos in which I myself was pictured with the artists always elicited the greatest feedback, this staging gradually became the programme. Interestingly, since then I have also been noticed by fashion and lifestyle lovers and now achieve up to five thousand page views per month. But it's important to keep at it and to keep working on the concept of my blog. In March, my first podcast will be uploaded to Spotify. I am very excited about the reactions

Elke Backes during her visits for Atelierbesuche.com with artists Laura Aberham ©Natascha Romboy

What would you describe as your personal philosophy?

My basic philosophy is to inspire people for art. In terms of content, it is questions about socio-political events, philosophical questions and the confrontation of art with itself that particularly interest me and that I would like to convey. 

What do you think of the hype surrounding curators?

The use of the term curator is inflating because almost everyone in the art world now calls themselves one. I don't see myself as a curator because I don't design exhibitions. At least not until now. In my opinion, curators have been given too much importance in recent years. For example, when an exhibition is judged first by who curated it rather than focusing on the artist, I have a problem with that. It also bothers me when the curator puts too much of his own interpretation into the art and gives the viewer his direction. Even in an institutional exhibition, art must be left free to interpret itself.

Do you still enjoy visiting exhibitions?

Sure. Especially to discover new artists. Since I have been visiting studios myself and writing about art, however, I have become even more critical than before about the scope and demands of the exhibition texts. That's why I now recognise it as an incredible privilege to be able to have a free view of art in the studios and I hope to give my readers an equally free view through the way I communicate. 

"Their engagement with life, society and their ability to give it all an artistic shape."

What qualities fascinate you in an artist?

Their ability to reflect. Their engagement with life, society and their ability to give it all an artistic shape. That's why I value the mix when choosing my artists. I am interested in academy students and emerging artists as well as established artists. Recently, I have been getting more and more enquiries from young artists because word of my blog has spread, especially in this scene. 

Even though it's trendy at the moment, in my planning I'm currently mainly looking at female artists who are finally being noticed by the art world after centuries of being ignored. 

Is there also a commercial orientation to ATELIERBESUCHE.COM?

Yes. However, this thought only came up later. I was looking for ways to at least cover the costs of running my blog. The idea of also offering for sale art by the artists discussed in the blog was almost obvious. Especially as this is a mediation in a double sense - in terms of content and in the sense of art consulting. That's why since last year there has been the menu item "Purchase Recommendations", for which I also work with the artists and - if given - their galleries after the published blogposts. 

Do you also work on commission?
Of course. I write texts on a fee basis, which can then also be found in the menu item "Editorial". In them, I present the wide variety of protagonists in the art market: collectors, museum and auction house representatives, fair operators, gallery owners, publishers, and so on. 

For this I travel internationally as well. Two years ago, an assignment took me to Donna Karan in New York. At her estate in the Hamptons, she had organised an event for Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher, which I reported on. In the same year I was in South Africa, London and Paris. All in all, insanely exciting!

Elke Backes during her visits for Atelierbesuche.com with artists Laura Aberham, Volker Hermes & Louisa Clement - All Photos: ©Natascha Romboy Elke Backes with Noah Becker: Photo ©Markus Schwer

Elke Backes during her visits for Atelierbesuche.com with artists Laura Aberham, Volker Hermes & Louisa Clement - All Photos: ©Natascha Romboy

Elke Backes with Noah Becker: Photo ©Markus Schwer