Nadja Lana: From sketching in a swingers' club to exhibiting in an East Cork church
Nadja Lana is the first artist to have an exhibition as part of the new series at Sea Church in Ballycotton.
Nadja Lana’s career as an artist has brought her to some interesting places, from the swingers’ club in Dusseldorf where she once made sketches, to the former church in Ballycotton, Co Cork, that is currently hosting her first solo exhibition in Ireland.
Lana was born in Haan, Germany in 1992. Her interest in art led her to study art history initially. “I’d always painted,” she says, “but after two years studying for a degree in art history I realised it was more than a hobby, I wanted it to be my profession. So I switched to studying Fine Arts at the Kunstakademie Dusseldorf.
“I loved being in art college. Everyone has their own personality, and sometimes it’s hard to work together in a shared studio. But it’s helpful to talk to your tutors and other students about your work and develop your ideas.”
One of her earliest influences was the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali. “I still really like his work. I love how he creates such surreal dream worlds. But at the moment it’s a bit too dark for me. I really like Joseph Beuys as well. He didn’t paint, as such, but I like the idea of his social work. I think Dali and Beuys are the two artists I admire the most.”
At college, Lana experimented with sculpture for a time. “I worked with latex a bit. It’s a really interesting material for me because I love to paint flesh and skin. I may do more of that kind of work some time, but at the moment I prefer painting to sculpture.”
Much of Lana’s work is figurative in nature. “I worked with live models a lot in college,” she says. “And I ask friends to pose for me as well. I was always pretty interested in the voyeuristic kind of view, where you watch something and you have the feeling that something or someone is looking back. I try to create a feeling of ambivalence in my paintings. I hope that the audience don't just say, oh, that's a lovely painting. I love it when they feel a bit torn.
“That was why I went to a swingers’ club. I don’t want to be involved in that kind of thing, but I asked if I could go along and make sketches, and they said okay. I did some really quick sketches, and I used them later in my work.”
Lana graduated with a master’s degree in Fine Arts in 2023. “I worked as a waitress a lot when I was a student, but now I work full-time as an artist. It’s possible to make a living as an artist in Germany, but it’s hard. At the moment I have three paintings showing in a group exhibition in Germany. Sometimes you might sell three paintings in a month, and then, for months and months, you might sell nothing.”
Lane moved to Ireland because “I just fell in love with the place,” she says. “I travelled around a bit. At first I really liked Galway, but then I realised it was maybe a bit too touristic for me. Then I visited Cork, and found this place to rent in Midleton. It’s a big house, and I use one room as my studio, so it’s ideal.”
Lana was delighted to be invited to exhibit at Sea Church, the former Church of Ireland church that opened as a music venue and restaurant in 2020. Her exhibition is the first of a planned series designed to offer local artists a place to showcase their work.
“They knew I’d never shown in Ireland before, and when they asked if I wanted to do the opening exhibition, I said yes, of course. I knew it would be lovely to see my paintings in the church. There’s a really big stained glass window, and it’s really exciting to hang my work on the walls around it. I’m showing one painting I did for my graduation show in Germany, and three more that I’ve done in Midleton. I’m showing drawings and graphics as well.”
Lana was impressed by the organisers’ decision to let artists keep all the sales from their work. “Galleries in Germany take up to 50% in commission, but Sea Church takes none. It’s a great deal.”
Lana also sees the exhibition as an opportunity to make contacts in the Irish arts scene. “Hopefully other artists who come to see it will get in touch,” she says. “I always love to exchange ideas. And now that I live in Ireland, I would love to show more work in exhibitions here.”
- Nadja Lana’s solo exhibition at Sea Church in Ballycotton, Co Cork runs until November 30.
- nadjalana.com
- seachurch.ie
Eilis O’Connell, Aisling Roche and John Noel Smith are among the Irish artists contributing work to the Palestine Postcard Project, which launches in Skibbereen on October 18. Conceived by Mich Maroney, Creative Director of journal, the project features over 1,500 original postcard-sized artworks by more than 600 artists from all over the world.
Each postcard will be sold at a fixed price of €50, with all proceeds going to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) , which continues to provide critical support to the people of Palestine. All the postcards are signed on the reverse, ensuring they are bought on merit.
The international artists participating include the Danish sculptor Helle Helsner, the UK-based painter Michael Ajerman, and the American Obie Weathers, who has been on death row in Texas for the past 24 years.
The Palestine Postcard Project launches at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen, Co Cork on Saturday October 18 and runs until Saturday October 25.
