Description
About the Artwork
Heike Arndt tries to make human emotions visible in her art, where it is possible for the viewer to recognize him/herself and a given situation, and she finds it necessary to portray this constant interpretation of nonverbal and verbal language. Heike Arndt about her artwork: “When the human being communicates with its surroundings it uses a verbal and non-verbal language. The human understanding is embedded in historical, cultural and social contexts and is, therefore, a basic element in our basic integration and ability to treat each other with respect. The interpretation of the heard and the seen is a constantly ongoing process in the human subconsciousness. We interpret experiences and situations differently due to our history and culture, so therefore the verification of the expressed language – verbal and non-verbal – is necessary to our mutual understanding. It is necessary to strengthen our awareness of the ambiguity in human communication to prevent misunderstandings and create a more empathetic behavior. We need a ‘home’ to identify our selves as human beings – but in order to meet others with respect it is just crucial to understand that people have different experiences of ‘home’.”
About the artist
Since Heike Arndt fled from GDR 1985 she has had residence and citizenship in Denmark. Today she considers herself a Dane and cosmopolitan. The cultural change from east to west and her many journeys worldwide have had a great impact on her artistic work. Human relations have always been the focus and main drive in Heike Arndt’s personal life and art. Her East German upbringing and innumerable residences in nearly all continents of the world have given her great insight into different cultures. Heike Arndt portrays the basic emotions of human beings. From Greenland, China to Africa she has collected experiences of different life situations and by living amongst people and doing interviews she has tried to find the key to empathy. To Heike Arndt, empathy leads to the respect, acknowledgment, and understanding of other people which is so important in a globalized world. This comes to show with her very successful travel exhibition in Greenland which was later presented in both the US and several places in Europe. Heike Arndt worked and had her own studio in Italy with Ansgar Elde (friend of Asger Jorn) since 1993. Since then she moved her studio to Finale /Ligure. Besides German, Danish and English Heike Arndt also speaks Italian.
