Artist Eric Meier: ‘I wanted to go where it really hurts’
- magazinesuspiria
- Apr 10
- 6 min read
For his new project, artist Eric Meier portrayed alcoholic men from an institution in Brandenburg. Here he talks about intimacy, images of masculinity and his view of the places of his origin
For his new project, artist Eric Meier met men who live in a residential centre for addicts in Eisenhüttenstadt, near the Polish border. His portraits tell of the fractured biographies of the "Wende-Generation", the last generation who lived in DDR before the wall came down and the politcal system turned. It shows his protagonists vulnerable and approachable. In his works, Eric Meier examines, among other things, which images of masculinity are reproduced and stereotyped by society and which gestures he himself has internalised. His exhibition ‘Vaterland’ was on display at the Eigen+Art Lab in Berlin until 26 October 2024.
Eric Meier, many of your works deal with the theme of East Germany. Why have you now portrayed these men who live in a residential centre for addicts?
About three years ago, I made the decision to go where it really hurts. I talk a lot about society and human traces, now I wanted to involve people directly and photograph them in a place where it costs me a lot of effort. My current work shows portraits of these men, who all have a fragility in their masculinity. They all have a biography of change and are all socially marginalised.
The pictures seem very intimate. What is your relationship with the people you have photographed? And what atmosphere do you want to create with the photographs?
The people in the pictures live in a residential centre for addicts in Eisenhüttenstadt, near the Polish border. They are all alcoholics. My connection to these people is special because a very close family member of mine lives there. My biography and my personal connection gave me access to them. But I also invested a lot of time and thought and considered how a connection with the men could be possible. Firstly, I carefully asked whether they were interested in the project, showed them other works of mine and spoke a lot with the people there. I think a lot of familiar things came up, like the locations or the themes. Then there was a lot of interest on their part. Perhaps they felt that someone was finally paying attention to them. They live in this home relatively isolated from the rest of their lives, with the same processes and routines. It was therefore all the more important for me to remain empathetic and not lose sight of their reality.
What role does the theme of masculinity play in the pictures?
The discussion about ‘the old white man’ has been heavily charged by the media for years. You can see this masculinity in the protagonists in the photographs. I didn't just want to reproduce a stereotype or attribution that exists of them or about them, but to consciously break this gesture. It was important to me not to portray the men in a voyeuristic way. Instead, I wanted to create an image that is confrontational, but at the same time empathetic.
Did you have any reservations about photographing these people?
I was very nervous at the beginning. In terms of the process itself, it was the first time that I had photographed people in my work in this way. That was a challenge at first. But once the ice was broken, I realised that I didn't have to have a moral conflict. Because there is a lot of love in this place and the other person was interested. We had a long chat before taking the photos. I learnt a lot about the men's biographies as a result. That was extremely important to me.
You once said that as an artist you deal with failure and transformation. How are these themes reflected in your work?
First of all, it's about observation. About describing a status quo. Thinking about what was and what could become. Failure can always trigger something new and is therefore also a new beginning. That is interesting for me on an intellectual level, but also on a narrative level. I find the aesthetics of rupture or failure appealing.I find destruction and new construction or appropriation exciting. This can be seen in the deformed moment of my glass works, in wall engravings, or in the urban spaces that I photograph. The sense of this aesthetic comes from the street and also refers back to it.
What was it like for you to work in an environment to which you had a family connection? Does the separation between the private and public spheres disappear as a result?
I think there are few positions that do not somehow develop their artistic work and their treatment of themes from their own primal slime. The inspiration that comes from my own identity and life experience can be found in my work. This is so blatant that I don't question it at all. I'm not very old yet, but growing up in Frankfurt an der Oder, a small East German town, has automatically led me to observe how the places of my origin change. What disappears and how new spaces emerge. Or, as in this case, how the biographies of people who live there develop. For me, it's simply exciting and totally logically connected. It feels natural.
Can your photographic recording of the condition of individual people reflect the vastness of the entire political conflict? How do you put this into context?
My work is of course only an excerpt. And it is important to me that it is not a documentary, but a But I don't necessarily have to. I categorise these people and their stories in the theme of the East, because for me it is connected to my origins and is very medially charged. That's why it's important for me to work on this. The topic of fragility and fragile masculinity has been under discussion for years. And it is still important. The fact that such structures dissolve is part of the work. In this case, that would mean ascribing something to this cohort, these men. To put it bluntly, they are ‘responsible for all evil’. I wanted to look at and illuminate this excerpt, this fragment. Of course, it is also an examination of my own masculinity and images of masculinity. To think about how something can be done better. Ultimately, the question of one's own position.
Do the people in the pictures benefit from the project?
I think you only know that afterwards. But I think they have benefited in the sense that they have been torn out of their relatively uniform everyday lives. And our collaboration gave them a different experience and a different dialogue partner.
Did they see the pictures?
Yes, they have also been invited to the exhibition. But it is rather difficult, as the emotional level is unfortunately no longer so pronounced for them.With almost all of them, emotions tend to take place in a kind of uniformity. I think they don't really care about the pictures, you have to say. The experience was obviously the most important thing for them.
If you also look at the East politically: How did you react to the results of the state elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg and the high level of support for the AfD?
The election results are hardly surprising. And I don't think we should be outraged. It's simply unpleasant and sad that things are the way they are. I'm worried and touched because I naturally have a strong emotional connection to the region.
Can art do anything to counter the shift to the right?
I'm a bit pessimistic about that. Art can't do that much. It has to be seen first, that's important. And it must not remain in its bubble. Once that has been achieved, I believe it can work. If people are brought into institutions that are good at communicating - that might help a little. Free admission to museums, for example, could be a door opener. Educating children and young people, arousing interest with art, taking on other perspectives - that's important. But first, in my opinion, a different tone needs to be struck in grassroots society. The shouting has to stop. We need to talk to each other differently and, above all, listen to each other.
The artist Eric Meier (35) grew up in Frankfurt an der Oder and lives and works in Berlin. He studied at the Hochschule für Grafik und Bildkunst in Leipzig, the Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie and the Universität der Künste in Berlin. His artist book ‘Eric Meier - FF’ was published in 2021. His works are represented in the Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dresden, the Bundeskunstsammlung and the Hoffmann Collection, among others
Eric Meier ‘Fatherland’
‘What once stood for strength and self-confidence now reveals in its brokenness a vulnerability that cannot be suppressed.’ - Friedrich Weißbach, exhibition text
here's a link to Eric Meiers website: https://eric-meier.com
this inteview was firstly published on https://www.monopol-magazin.de
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