Vogue: What made you decide to move to New York ?
Florian Krewer:I remember that there was initially a collaboration with Michael Werner in 2018.
If youre interested, come to New York for a month and see if you like it.
Photographed by Benjamin Tietge
Thanks to [British painter] Peter Doig, I visited three or four times.
The first time I thought, I cant live here.
But from the second or third time onwards I could imagine it and enjoy it more.
Photographed by Benjamin Tietge
New York is a city that overwhelms you.
In your paintings we see mostly young, male figures, often placed in dangerous or vulnerable positions.
Where do they come from?
Photographed by Benjamin Tietge
Its a completely mixed bag.
Many situations are abstractions based on the emotions from experiences Ive collected.
Some of them feature my friends.
Photographed by Benjamin Tietge
There are also elements from times when I had many personal conflicts because society still relies on stereotypes.
Many times I couldnt communicate that.
For instance, if youre attracted to both sexes, youre categorized as either heterosexual or gay.
Photographed by Benjamin Tietge
But if you like both sexes, I feel torn from one side to the other.
For me, its moving.
Especially if you look back to the 90s, when this macho culture dominated.
However, beneath this masculinity, the individual ceased to be free.
Everything there feels scattered.
Also, how privilege can either grant you freedom or take it away…
This interview was originally published in Spanishon vogue.mx.It has been edited and condensed for clarity.
