Art & Culture |March 13, 2023

"The perfect format for the perfect city"

Interview with Lisa Maria Kunst

A four-month stay in New York inspired Lisa Maria Kunst to make a commitment that has made her and her husband Rainer Kunst central figures in Düsseldorf's creative scene over the past eight years. It was then that she came across the "Creative Mornings" format on the Internet, a now worldwide event where creative people from a wide range of disciplines meet every month in their respective home cities to exchange ideas. The meetings are based around half-hour presentations by members of the scene who share their expertise with interested parties and like-minded people. Lisa Maria Kunst and her husband Rainer, who lived in New York in the same block as the founding initiative's headquarters, were immediately enthusiastic and decided to establish the format in their home city of Düsseldorf. The special thing about the series of events is that the meetings take place on a Friday of each month at 8.30 a.m., but always at different locations. The couple hosted the first event in February 2015 under the glass dome of K21. Eight years later, "Creative Mornings" is a fixture in the local creative scene. In this interview, Lisa Maria Kunst talks about the conditions that made Düsseldorf the perfect hub for the creative morning event.

You and your husband have been organizing and hosting the "Creative Mornings" in Düsseldorf for eight years. What is your professional connection to the creative scene?

I was already interested in art and culture at home, so I was influenced early on. After training as an advertising manager at DDB, I studied communications and multimedia management at Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences and then always worked in communications and advertising. Today I work together with my husband in the Studio Kunst agency.

How do you approach the task of attracting new creatives to the lectures each month?

The "Creative Mornings" community, which is now spread across 223 cities, provides suggestions for monthly themes. This is the initial inspiration and guideline. However, as these topics are often very general, they can be interpreted in different ways. Sometimes I get recommendations, sometimes a lecture topic even arises from the location. We have the ambition to really play a new location every month. That's not a requirement from the headquarters, it's something we've imposed on ourselves.

What are these topics, for example?

These can be abstract, general themes such as love, life or death, but we have also had themes such as "happy coincidence" or "wealth". To illustrate the scope for interpretation, I would like to give you another example: One of our first themes was called "Ink". We had the author and illustrator Martin Baltscheit as a guest. In Los Angeles, a chef cooked squid live on the same theme, while in other cities we invited calligraphers, typographers and tattoo artists.

How has your view of Düsseldorf changed since you started working so closely with the creative scene?

It has changed significantly. On the one hand, I got to know a lot of exciting people and their projects, but also places that are not normally accessible. These include off-spaces that no longer exist today: Ergo Ipsum or PostPost, for example. Some places disappear, new ones appear; in eight years with twelve events each, we have already traveled a lot around the city. Fortunately, Düsseldorf offers numerous opportunities in this respect. There is a lot of movement.

You grew up in Düsseldorf. What makes the city special for you?

I've lived in many different neighborhoods: in Mitte, the Zooviertel, Flingern, Bilk and Volmerswerth, as well as in Pempelfort and Unterbilk. What I appreciate about Düsseldorf is that the city is a manageable size, but still has a lot to offer in the areas that interest me. When it comes to art and culture, Düsseldorf can compete with any other major German city.

What role does the Düsseldorf location play in your work?

I work in different areas. Düsseldorf is an important location for my work in communications. Not every city offers the opportunity to train at an agency as big as DDB. I learned a lot there. The advertising and design scene is very lively here. Advertising has always been an economic factor in Düsseldorf and many large agencies are based here. The art academy is a stroke of luck. It keeps attracting young people to the city. There is also a very strong music scene. The mix is very special.

There is the Studio Kunst agency and then your husband Rainer Kunst runs the Kunst & Denker Contemporary gallery together with Meike Denker. Are there synergies, do the two form a creative cosmos?

For me personally, the gallery is a very important part. I have learned and gained a lot from being so close to it and find the input enriching. Nevertheless, art is a field of its own. Not that there are any barriers. But I think it's good that art and the creative industries don't completely merge. The exchange is important, but you have to do it with a lot of tact. I hope I have developed the necessary awareness for this over time.

Where do you find inspiration?

I like going to museums and getting to know people at events. Talking to all kinds of people and, above all, listening to them is important to me.

Is there a contribution to "Creative Mornings" that particularly impressed you?

Picking something out is not easy. But with carnival just around the corner, Jacques Tilly's contribution on the subject of "taboo" comes to mind. Tilly develops and builds the carnival floats for the Düsseldorf Rose Monday parade. Thanks to him, they are more political than in any other city. I find it remarkable how he takes a stand and that he doesn't allow himself to be talked into it. He is a very important part of the Düsseldorf carnival. I admire the way he gets to the heart of political statements by simplifying them so that even the most clouded mind can understand the message. He accepts the fact that he is attacked for his opinion.

What would you miss if you had to leave Düsseldorf?

Oh, just everything! My people, bread, sushi, the Rhine and the proximity to other cities. Sometimes you forget to mention that the surrounding area also has so much to offer.

Where do you go when you go out to eat?

We go to Menta on Lorettostraße once a week, the kids love the pizza there. But I'm also a big fan of Olio and Hülsmann. Not forgetting the outstanding sushi quality that you get in Little Tokyo.

Is there a restaurant that you have recently discovered for yourself?

Yes, a new restaurant opened just yesterday: NineOfive on Moltkestraße. The pizza with the thick crust was delicious - and they have a very good wine list.

Where do you go when you want to switch off?

Then I like to go jogging. I prefer to run straight out the door to the Rhine. And then either down to the right or left.