High Art Top 10 Profile: Interview with Jan Huss
The fusion of nature and technology is a fascination of many talented artists and German artist Jan Huss is no exception. Exploration of these themes led to the creation of “The Dream Catcher” and earned Jan 10th place in the Print division of High Art 2017. Below Jan explains how Goa culture and personal experiences with cannabis led to this inspired self-portrait.
Learn more about Jan Huss here:
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user41482126
Website: https://jan-huss.de/works.html
How did you hear about High Art?
I noticed the call to the High Art competition on the Facebook site of Juxtapoz which I have subscribed.
What made you want to create an entry?
My personal history with Cannabis made me want to submit an entry. Cannabis has a big influence on my work, not only in the process of making but also in the matter of the artworks.
What was the inspiration or process for the work you submitted?
Over the past 20 years the Goa culture was a big thing in my life. For about 15 years I was organizing Goa parties and painting large fluorescent paintings for decorating the events. Being “high” was more or less the core of this lifestyle. In these high conditions I was dreaming up the fantastic psychedelic artworks and surroundings for the Goa events to stimulate and direct the trips of the party crowd. My entry is a kind of self portrait of me in my “dreamer” condition and part of my work as artist beside the Goa culture. The robot hints at the electronic music and also at the mechanical function of the body piloted by the consciousness. Surely he is smoking some weed. Clothed in fancy hippy goa fashion. In the background you can see a dreamcatcher helping to dream up artworks. The surrounding has the atmosphere of these events – dark, nebulous, fluorescent.
What has been your personal experience with cannabis? How has it influenced your art?
As described I have a long history with cannabis. About 15 years I was smoking weed. Since a few years I quit smoking. It was a great time and I don’t regret it. It has given me a lot. Pushed my creativity in some ways, opened my thinking to new ways and of course connected me with many fantastic friends. I quit smoking because I decided to go on a different path in my life, the spiritual path which is in no way compatible with smoking weed. Weed can of course help you to open up for a spiritual path but if you really want to go the path you have to leave it behind, like many other things. My entry is a form of closing the past, the “high times”. But it is a friendly closing and a tribute to the great time I had.
What are your favorite cannabis strains or products?
I liked to smoke weed in joints. It’s a very relaxed way of smoking. While listening to music, sitting in the chill out, passing around with friends and strangers or on a walk in the nature.