In January 2011 he coolly strolled onto the stage at the special BRIGHT Vectorlounge. He had managed to win the digital Photoshop illustration battle without ever even owning a computer or having used Photoshop. Perhaps it is his uninhibitedness that makes urban artist Think so exciting. Or perhaps it’s also the fact that he just oozes inspiration, passion and drive. And then he comes out with things like: “I am sure that in 100 years Banksy and Picasso will be mentioned in the same breath. Street art is the biggest art movement ever; the Renaissance has nothing on this!” Simple as that. Before Think came to Berlin in 2001, he had already attended the school of hard knocks: after growing up in a small, Bavarian village, the qualified locksmith and part-time anarchist ran an alternative autonomous café for a while with friends. Until then he had never painted: “I had always been creative in some form, but I still hadn’t found an outlet for it. When I came to Berlin, I was totally inspired by stickers, stencils and wallpapers by artists like Stromausfall, the CBS Crew, Nomad and Banksy. Street art immediately appealed to me.” In addition to his art, Think, who is now 30, also writes poems and mixes electronic music. “Moving to Berlin was the best decision I ever made,” he says smiling. “It’s a very inspiring place.”
He started with simple, one to three-coloured stencils – his robots, faces, monsters and diverse characters quickly became a part of Berlin’s cityscape. Nowadays his style is as multi-faceted as the selection of materials at a DIY store: whether with oil, acrylic, spray paint, brush or permanent marker, on paste-ups, stickers, wood or metal – for Think the freedom of the styles is the biggest challenge, as he is always trying out new techniques and motifs. His latest works are material mix collages on treated metal. “The focus of my art is based on revolts. Not only the revolution within society, but rather the radical change in oneself, in one’s own thinking. I like to play with opposites and symbols.” He lists his biggest sources of inspiration as people, consciousness, time, change, spirituality and psychedelia. “I want to get people thinking, as I am absolutely convinced that art in public spaces can lead to a change in society’s mindset.” After several exhibitions in Berlin galleries like the Westberlin Gallery, Neurotitan and Skalitzers, Think is now planning a large mural for the art area at BRIGHT. And maybe one day he’ll get around to producing his very own theatre play, one of his long-cherished dreams. And he has also finally made up his mind to buy a computer.
www.myspace.com/thinksflowjob
Text: Nada Carls
Think About Street Art 116 – Bright Magazine