Norbert Then

artist

My passion for art stems from my childhood. I grew up in a small, romantic village in Franconia, where every mountain had a chapel, cathedral, ruin, or old "robber baron castle," which fascinated me even back then. Through my parents' stories about how these came to be and the history behind them, I was introduced to art at a very young age. It simply fascinated me. Even as a child, I tried to play around and express myself in some way. Over the years, I gained more and more life experience, which is how everything evolved.

At the age of 23/24, I realized I could draw and so I first tried to express myself through painting. My background was actually in metalworking, which eventually turned out to be an advantage. Initially, however, I painted many paintings, some of which are already 35 years old and hang in my studio. During my time in development work in Africa, I became fascinated by the African form—the "lost form." This was the reason why I then began to express myself through sculpture. My initial figure with a jute sack gradually evolved into the current form of my dream catcher. First, the arms were downwards, then I raised them, and gradually refined the form. I've been working with this figure for 20 years and have developed approximately 100 different figures...

Twenty years ago, I leased my studio, the Kunstklärwerk (art wastewater treatment plant). It started as an empty, round room with nothing but gravel outside. Since then, I've been trying to build my studio together with my family and friends; it's simply impossible to do it alone. I'm also often supported by the city of Stadtlohn, who have never put a stumbling block in my way, and we still have many visions for the future that we're now tackling.