What makes someone a muse? According to three-time Archibald finalist Kathrin Longhurst, it comes down to strength, independence and a kind of inner beauty that is at once fierce and compelling as it is trusting and fragile. In our continuing series of profiles with the Art Gallery New South Wales, we meet the artist and her character study. Longhurst’s complex work explores themes of femininity and empowerment, which in turn drew her to Midori Goto, a sculptor making statements in her own right. Their portrait sitting was something of an epiphany.
Congratulations, Kathrin, on being a finalist in the Archibald Prize 2022. Can you tell us about your connection to Midori and how she came to sit for you in the studio?
“I've known Midori’s mum and dad for a long time having been in the arts together, and Angie is just fabulous. [Angie Goto is a Sydney-based deaf artist and educator who explores her ideas in vibrant colours.] I happened to be working on a new series for a show in Melbourne, Mind-Field, and I had seen Midori at exhibition openings, so I asked Angie if she thought her daughter would mind sitting for me. Midori had never sat before, but her mum encouraged her to meet with me; I think she knew we would click. From there, I ended up creating four paintings, all so different, she just has this magical quality, every pose was amazing. I wanted this particular series to represent different archetypes of women, different female ideals, the show was about the language we use around women in media and politics and how the words we use to describe women can really affect opinion and shape attitudes, and Midori just has this cool attitude. She’s very much no nonsense. She projects this kind of ‘don’t mess with me’ demeanour and I just love her kick ass strength.”
Midori, how was the process for you? Was it daunting to sit for a painter in the beginning?
“I was definitely hesitant, but Mum was so encouraging, she knew it would be good for Kathrin and I to meet. At that first sitting I was so nervous but we just started talking, and suddenly I was having these conversations around things that had happened in my life, feelings of being boxed up. I was labelled as this irrational crazy kid as a child, always being told to calm down, and so it all just poured out of me and those emotions came through in Kathrin’s paintings. There's a sincerity in my face and it’s because these conversations were happening during the sitting. We were talking about all the adversities that we had faced, Kathrin was also sharing her stories, so there were lots of tears but at the same time it was very empowering for me. It definitely helped me blossom. I don't think I would be where I am right now on this path if I didn't take up that opportunity with Kathrin.”
When we look back over our teen years, these are often the most challenging and difficult times – now more than ever. You’ve said that it led you to question your identity, that you felt the need to suppress what you had been told was a strong-minded, rebellious nature.
“I think my hurdles began in high school as I wasn't fitting into the system, a system that was working for everyone else and I found myself wanting to challenge things. I love to ask questions and I think sometimes, perhaps because of the way I might hold myself, that can come across as aggressive when it's not, I'm just a very passionate person. I ended up being kicked out of school because of attitude problems but I really didn't understand it, I was very confused and unsure of my emotions. I would come home and cry to Mum and tell her I was just trying to be myself but everyone seems to tell me that's wrong. I didn’t know how to calm down, I didn’t know how to be not so passionate. Kathrin and I talked a lot about the imbalance between men and women, and all the traits that I was showing which were totally acceptable in boys. So I do think my path forward, from that moment with Kathrin, led to me suddenly feeling empowered and embraced for all the things that in my previous life I'd been pushing aside. It hasn’t been easy for my mum, my aunt, who would always try to pump me up, they always supported me, but perhaps it just takes someone on the outside to make you feel that the world could indeed become your oyster. It’s a different kind of validation.”
Kathrin, there is such emotion to your work. Through all those layers, we see incredible beauty expressed in incredible hyper realism.
“And that has been a good thing and a bad thing. An art critic recently wrote that the models in my work are too young and too beautiful and that I'm distracted by glamour, but in truth it all leads back to my childhood – I grew up longing for glamour. I was locked in behind the Berlin Wall and I remember we would always beg our grandparents to smuggle in fashion magazines from the West - they were forbidden - and we would just sit and pour over those pretty dresses and the makeup. I think for me, there's still a need to fulfill my yearning for beauty and glamour.”
Kathrin, can you describe the process of your work and how those issues come through your work?
“As an artist, you have this amazing privilege to be able to work with people that give so much to you, you create these bonds together that are just so deep. In the beginning I drew a lot of inspiration from propaganda work. I grew up in East Berlin, so I examined all the political propaganda and the symbolism of its imagery and advertising, then I flipped it on its head in order to poke fun at it and use it to advance my own agenda, which is all about exploring female empowerment. I like to immerse in a theme first – ideas such as indoctrination or overcoming adversity and how we push the human spirit by toughening up through adversity.”
Painting is such a personal process. How do you handle the pressure of putting yourself out there creatively?
“It’s scary and at the same time so rewarding. I always think of the motivational speaker Brené Brown, who talks a lot about the fact that you can only make real human connections by allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and that’s so true. I never thought I would be able to connect so deeply with other people just by allowing them to see these very personal pieces of me, but you put your soul into a painting and in the end, it shines through.”
Midori, you began your career in childcare and then moved into the arts community. As an advocate for artists and patron of the Art Gallery's Atelier program, can you tell us about your philosophy for encouraging next generations to embrace the arts?
“I'm definitely all for pushing youth and art and philanthropy. I think it's all about making it accessible, exciting and inviting. I think it’s important to consider a different approach to art events, how we gather and view art. It should be fun and vibrant with people of all different ages enjoying this space and community, people all joining together in this fun inspiring and inclusive space. It can be very daunting coming into the Art Gallery, so I am excited by all the different events and experiences with art. We recently did a meditation at the Art Gallery, where you had the opportunity to just sit there quietly with an artwork that spoke to you. It was extraordinary, actually sitting there – feeling, breathing, listening.
Midori, tell us about the inspiration behind your sculptures for your new site, OMERÓ?
“I worked with clay ceramics, starting off with jewellery, and then it turned into making things which represent me and how I'm feeling in the moment. I’m drawn in by the playful, focused yet subconscious space I sit in with clay. I’m inspired by the ecosystems around us and the need to nurture them as well as people, feelings and movement."
Can I ask you both what have you learned from each other in the process, what was the biggest lesson?
Kathrin: “Midori, you are so much fun to be around. I think what I'm taking away is that I need to embrace my fun side too. Perhaps I've been taking myself way too seriously in recent years, but your can-do attitude has taught me to just get on with it and make things happen and to really embrace being joyful.”
Midori: “And so maybe what I've taken from you is the opposite: sometimes I get so head-in-the-sky crazy, I love your focus. There are moments in life when you do require that seriousness, whether it’s issues that do need to be addressed and analysed, or just to slow things down and think things through. But the main thing that I've learned from you is to feel accepted and to know that it's okay to be strong – or irrational even. You've definitely made me feel comfortable in my own personality, and that has been such an incredible gift.”
Words by Natasha Inchley
Photography by Jo Yeldham
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