With an over 20 years long involvement in creating designs for t-shirts and commemorative coins, and after having moved to Eugene and becoming friends with artists, the desire of creating art not for customers but art that reflects my own thoughts and beliefs, in particular about social justice & environmental issues, has been growing in me.
A wrong production run of for Guantanamo Bay, coins in the shape of actual prison keys, was the initiator of me eventually entering creating arts – rather than throwing the keys away, I wanted to put them to use and to discuss a topic that envelops all of us: imprisonment & freedom, in the widest meaning of these two words. An artwork concept developed, and it was brought to life under the name “Liberation” in collaboration with three artist friends.
The positive experience with “Liberation” has been a real catalyst to express ideas, ideals, and feelings in a creative and artistic way. Walking the path of mixed media opened my eyes for seeing the energy, and even beauty, in utilitarian objects of our daily lives, and it allows for repurposing used and recycled materials which is truly in line with my beliefs in protecting the environment. “Liberation” was followed short after by another large collaboration piece, “Crossroads”, and by multiple smaller pieces. - Ralf Huber