Nils-Simon Fischer

In my work, I transform fundamental experiences—time, space, materiality, the body—into forms of expression through drawing. In doing so, I combine theoretical and philosophical questions with the diverse influences of my personal everyday life, which range from political and historical events to deeply personal experiences. These experiences not only flow into my work but become an integral part of the drawing process itself.
In doing so, I strive to create transparency; I deliberately supplement my drawings with handwritten marginal notes, thereby enabling viewers—in this specific case, the residents of Viersen—to become part of the creative process themselves.
Even though I studied in a program focused on sculpture and have worked artistically with installations in and with space, my focus is primarily on the medium of drawing, with paper being my preferred working material.
This is because paper is a medium that, alongside smartphones and computers, is used by most people in everyday life—for example, as a notepad, but also as an officially created document.

As part of the Peters-Messer Fellowship from the City of Viersen—which is explicitly intended for artists who work with paper—I would like to begin a new series of drawings on paper in which I plan to explore my immediate surroundings and beyond through cartography during my residency. What is the relationship between Viersen and the environment surrounding the city, and to what extent do developments from the wider environment make themselves felt within the city itself?
I would like to investigate whether and to what extent this question has already been explored artistically throughout history by conducting research in the City of Viersen’s very extensive graphic arts collection.