Wondering the meaning of life, if things happen for a reason, have a purpose, or if is life just made up of small incidents that just happen and the interconnectedness of it all, is the theme of Pascal Möhlmann new exhibition displayed in Milan.

Where does the motivation to explore the meaning of chance and the interconnection of events in the collection come from?

It comes from again and again wondering whether this is it. Life, I mean. This life, now. Whether the big moments, as well as the silly small ones, are meaningful. Either direct and in themselves, or as gearwheels in a bigger, unfolding event, or nothing more than incidents, just stumbling through life for no reason. In the case of the latter, we’re still taking ourselves particularly seriously though: getting educated, trying to achieve goals, or being frustrated when we‘re not capable enough.
I often discuss these thoughts with my closest friends and it‘s interesting to me how far apart the opinions are and how energetically defended.
Working as a visual artist, with oil paint on canvas, I feel it’s more interesting to raise a question rather than to make a commentary.

Your new art exhibition titled “Hic et nunc”, showcases contemporary elements such as normal people in accidental situations wearing popular brands such as Nike. Hic et nunc means Here and now, can you explain this concept in relation to the collection?

Even though it contains paintings of people walking into one another, or into a tree, or falling on their faces. I wanted to point out the question of things happening to be mere chance, or perhaps perfectly timed events.
The brands that can be found in my paintings are merely important in the way that I choose the people to pose for me, i.e. to play a role in the scenes I depict mostly from my direct surroundings. Friends and friends-of-friends, kind of. I deliberately let them wear garments from their own wardrobe. Instead of using anonymous models, or even idealized ones, I want to emphasize the directness of the role that the people in my life play. The ones that have crossed my path, or vice versa.

I can see that there are various religious references in your artwork, can you tell us your motivation for the implementation of these elements?

I can tell you that I believe, but I‘m not religious.

How do you hope the audience will feel or react after experiencing your exhibition?

Call me old fashioned, but I mostly hope my audience will see and feel beauty in my brushstrokes. There’s a reason why I’ve been calling my work NEW BEAUTY for quite some years now. We’ve been talking about content and meaning, but I put a lot of love into the painting itself. Like how to solve the confrontation of objects in the foreground with the background, through the thickness of paint, controlling pressure on my brushes, mixture of colours, and so on. Building lively, baroque, often somewhat comical compositions that hopefully touch people’s minds through their narrative, as well as their hearts through the more abstract aspects of my paintwork.

How has your art evolved over the years, and what changes have you noticed in your work?

The older I get, the younger I feel, and I think when it comes to my work, this results in a more unburdened and liberated way I build my compositions and have my brushwork treat the flesh, textiles, backgrounds, etcetera. Of course I’ve no idea if anybody notices, but it‘s certainly how it feel ls to me.

You've exhibited your work in various locations around the world. Are there any exhibitions or installations that have been particularly meaningful to you?

I still get goosebumps when I spot someone wearing Off-White garments with my paintwork on it. The close working together with Virgil Abloh has been a turning point for me, both in the exposure he gave me, as in the confirmation of my slightly eclectic way of viewing things: simultaneously romantic and contemporary.
But obviously my latest exhibition at Plan X Gallery in Milan means a lot to me too, because it‘s really build on the theme of chance and destiny.

What do you think about the transformation going on in the world of art with the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence image generation? Is this something that you would be interested in trying out? What impact do you think it will have?

Honestly, Artificial Intelligence scares me. Even scarier to me is the amount of people that seem to think AI is convenient to us. Or fun.
I know that experts tell us, AI is only as dangerous as humanity itself though, so let me just concentrate on the impact I think it could have on Art: I think the cynical speed of AI-spill-out will only confirm the approach lots of people working in the artworld seem to have anyway: that getting to an end result via the fastest and shortest route is a plus.
When artist start using the outcomes of AI-calculations, whether in text or immediately through imagery, they‘re voluntarily depriving themselves of everything they might have experienced, seen, learned and otherwise gone through while fighting their way towards a potential work. Which is, to me, the main drive to paint, as well as the energetic value behind any artwork, old as well as contemporary.