Martin Eder

on repression

interview by SVEN SCHUMANN
portrait by MAXIME BALLESTEROS

All works courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth

 

Leaning against a brick wall, a large-format painting of an unattractive woman’s ass is the first thing that catches one’s eye upon entering Martin Eder’s spacious Berlin studio. His workspace is messy, but filled with personality — canvases, some weird masks, and all kinds of scattered paint supplies fill the space. Even though Eder doesn’t live here, there is a sizable wooden canopy bed right in the middle of the room as well as an open bathroom in the corner that has everything from a fancy bathtub to a beautiful vintage glass display cabinet.

At first glance Martin Eder’s art is often inaccurately described as kitsch, a designation that fails to do his work justice, and a term the artist hates. It’s true, Eder often uses bright colors to…