Meet Mona Kuhn

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mona Kuhn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Mona with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I am German-Brazilian. At the time I was born, my German parents were working in São Paulo, Brazil, where I was raised bi-lingual and lived till about 17 years old. The best recollections of my childhood comes from moments of freedom and joy I experienced in Brazil. But my work ethics comes from my German side. I like to say I am German during the week and Brazilian during the weekends!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am currently working on a solo exhibition that opens at Galerie XII in Los Angeles this fall. The exhibition titled “Mona Kuhn: The Schindler House, A Love Affair” consists of photographs, multimedia large scale projections and surround sound installation. It is an uncanny love story between the notorious architect Rudolph Schindler, who built the first American mid-century house in West Hollywood during the 1920’s, and a mysterious lover. The series capture the physical presence of this mysterious woman as she seems to be dematerializing, resulting in a fleeting and metaphysical story about two lovers who couldn’t be together, yet seem to cross time and space to find each other again in my works. For the sound installation, I collaborated with composer Boris Salchow who created an original musical score to go along with the orchestrated projections. It first opened at Arts, Design and Architecture Museum at UC Santa Barbara, before it travelled to Kunsthaus-Göttingen in Germany, and later Galerie XII in Paris last November. This is the first time it will be shown in Los Angeles, and adapted to its new space at Bergamot Station. It has been a great project and I am beyond thankful to my community of collectors, publishers, galleries and the institutional support this project has received. Also, a special thanks for Epson for their laser projectors – thanks to them we are able to create an immersive presentation – in which the viewer is invited to enter this architectural space and dive into this mysterious love story.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Curiosity, persistence and showing up on time! Always important to keep an open mind and continue to learn along the way, and to remain focused to your intent and visual language.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

They raised me to be emotionally and financially independent. It is important to take charge of your life, enjoy the great moments, but also work hard and take responsibility for mistakes that might occur. It is best to acknowledge, and course correct right away. Keep all your friends close by and always acknowledge their positive influence and support along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.monakuhn.com
• Instagram: @monakuhnstudio
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNm_5gSeNKg

Image Credits

All photographs and installation views ©Mona Kuhn
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie XII, Los Angeles
Accompanying book published by Steidl

@monakuhnstudio
@galerie_xii
@steidlverlag