The interviews are conducted by VB Contemporary's director, Vian Borchert. Besides being a multidisciplinary noted international artist. Borchert has been a writer and art critic for over a decade contributing with art articles in a national online newspaper within the U.S.A. Borchert gets called upon to cover and write reviews for major retrospectives and exhibitions in world-class American museums. Borchert is also the Art Lead / curator of the art segment for "Oxford Public Philosophy Journal" for the Turn 5 issue - "Oxford Public Philosophy" is a philosophy journal based at Oxford University, UK. The journal is a space for critically questioning what philosophy is and how we're doing it, in form and content.

About the artist:
Hermann Lederle is a German artist residing and working in Los Angeles. The artist is known for his "Pixels" painting, and more recently for his series “Adaptation". His works have been exhibited in numerous exhibitions around the world, and his artistic production is particularly unique and recognizable. Although initially the impression is abstract, Lederle's art features geometric elements that compose, as a whole, figurative elements. Lederle’s work represents the interaction between film and art. Lederle's work suggests a kind of Cubism for the digital age. Moreover, Lederle's work has been widely exhibited in NY, LA, San Francisco, Germany, and France in galleries such as: Media Rare Gallery in Los Angeles, Lawson Galleries in San Francisco, Friedman Guinness Gallery in Heidelberg, and in private collections of Ringo Starr and Eric Stoltz.
Tell us about your "Beginnings", how did you start your artistic journey? How did your childhood influence your creative career path? And, how is your beginnings / childhood "Reflective" within your work?
My childhood was spent in a humanistic environment which led to my interest in the artistic fields. I grew up in a family living by cherished traditions of humanistic and social values and ethics. Also, I was encouraged early on to pursue studies in classical music education. However, unintentionally, at the music conservatory I discovered quickly my passion for theatre and photography. Not long after that during High school, I started apprenticing at a well-known photographer which led to an enormous opportunity to travel for photoshoots and experience new horizons. Although my formal education was more geared towards traditional academic, in my heart, I excelled in working in the artistic field. I decided to pursue filmmaking and photography in San Francisco at the Art Institute, where I also explored painting and performance art. Painting was something new to me then, but it really excited my senses with a sense of freedom. At SFAI, the faculties put great emphasis on the importance of following one's creative passions and thus making educational choices in the creative field.

Walk us through your day from morning till evening along with your creative process? What does a day for "Hermann Lederle" look like? Where do you find inspiration in the area by which you reside? And, What does "Spring" mean to you? Let us know what is your favorite flower or plant?
On any ordinary day in my studio I am confronted every morning by paintings which are not finished yet. This awakens the urge and desire to keep going. Quite often I wonder, did the work 'paint itself through some magic' and speculate on 'not seeing the artist in the work', in a lighthearted self-realizing moment. As I'm looking at it, I am truly fortunate enough to live in a great studio space (studio in Factory place in the Arts District, Los Angeles) and my surrounding environment is of constant inspiration from nearby galleries and exhibition spaces. This facilitates the importance of inspiration from the outside world which can bring about new ideas. In turn it opens up one's perspective how to see or view the work of your own and maybe focus on a direction you are not yet aware of.
As an artist, what have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced in your career? And, what have been your best achievements for you personally and professionally? Who are your favorite artists and why do you find their art captivating?
A big challenge in any career over time is the struggle to maintain creative curiosity and innovation in one's work without falling into repetition. Once you achieve a certain style and recognition in your work, it's easy to be lured into thinking just to continue in that line. But quite often, it's the opposite. You wish to keep discovering new territories, new spaces, new initiatives. At the same time, you want to satisfy your stylistic routines. And that becomes one of the biggest challenge is to be open to creative changes, to stylistic changes while continuing to be true to your core. Upon realizing this, painting becomes a very joyous act because one is free from self-imposed pressures to be successful. Of course, one major challenge is to create an economically feasible situation where one's art can support a living. Only then you are free to paint what you like. Also for me it is very important to get inspiration from contemporary artists who I know personally.