Samara Blue - My Way Of Art

One of the first headlines that caught my attention mentioned that his clients included Sylvester Stallone, Mickey Rourke and Cher. Of course, that made me curious. Karsten tells me that he had exhibited his paintings in a bar in his neighborhood, where a fashion designer involved with Fashion Week noticed him. His paintings were to line the catwalk, and backstage he was supposed to paint jackets. Silvia Fritz, Sylvester Stallone’s fashion designer, was impressed by Karsten’s work. Stallone had launched his fashion label “Sly Inc” in 2012. She simply sent Sly a few photos, and he promptly called Karsten, invited him to L.A. and introduced him to the local art scene. A jacket featuring Sly’s portrait was a gladly given gift in return. For MalKarsten, it was of course a fascinating encounter, although he admits that his heart was pounding. The fact that he happened to be in L.A. on his 45th birthday made the trip even more exciting. Nina Hagen, who shares the same birthday, was also there when the jacket was presented to Sylvester Stallone. At Fashion Week, Karsten was able to enjoy complete artistic freedom. Under Sly’s wing, he explored the L.A. art scene and decorated quite a few pieces of clothing with his art. Sly passed on another painting commission to Cher. Jackets for Katy Perry, Mickey Rourke and Ralf Moeller followed. As the acrylic paints he uses are waterproof and washable at 40 °C, there is nothing to prevent him from creating more individual designer pieces, an original “MalKarsten”, after all. Not exactly cheap, perhaps, but extraordinary and still affordable for ordinary people. I particularly love his paintings with their incredibly vivid monkey portraits. On Mother’s Day 2021, Karsten visited Krefeld Zoo to study the nature of these fascinating animals, as he openly told me on the phone. I was welcome to join him. Unfortunately, I was unable to accept this special invitation because of a private appointment. But it shows how open he is towards his audience. ... and what inspires an exceptional artist like Karsten from Düsseldorf? Life itself, he says. With him, everything sounds so simple and unpretentious, and yet his works are fascinating in so many different ways. On his way from one place to another, he finds plenty of inspiration, he explains. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t, but that’s not such a big deal either. Working out a painting and its meaning through an accompanying text is not really his thing. “If I want to say something, I talk. Language is quite unambiguous for that.” I absolutely love this statement because it gives me the opportunity to approach a work of art in a more relaxed way. MalKarsten thus became something of an insider tip, and not only in the American art scene. Karsten lives on the third floor of an old building in central Düsseldorf. The building has a beautiful courtyard and a hall that was once intended for master students of the Art Academy. Originally, four floors were used by artists. At the time, two floors were still being used this way. Alongside Karsten Breidenbroich, a close former associate of Düsseldorf artist Jörg Immendorff also lived there, while the remaining apartments were occupied by people who were not professionally involved in art. He paints his pictures with a 3D effect, and his feelings are intense. “Even stretching the canvas over a wooden frame gives me a feeling of happiness. When I paint, I feel that I’m alive. Someday I’ll paint the whole world.” He has already painted his way as far as America. He’ll manage the rest as well. His first pair of trousers splattered with paint may have been an accident, but by then this colorful design had become his trademark. Ultimately, that is exactly what makes him happy, Karsten tells me. Painting, not money. Sure, his unique pieces of clothing probably bring in a fair amount of money, but ultimately it goes back into paint and materials, creating new art and new joy. If money were the most important thing to him, he would simply paint himself some, he explained in an interview with Petra Verhasselt for NiederRhein Edition Online the previous year. His partner Spoo, herself an artist, advertising professional and communication designer, sums it up perfectly. The money earned is merely an “intermediate medium”, something without which artistic work would not be possible. After all, canvases and paint do not grow on trees. But the art Karsten creates is lasting. The appreciation people show for his art is what matters most to him. He makes it clear that, for example, the established art market is pretty much irrelevant to him. He paints, and that’s that. Krefeld, June 2021 Revised edition: August 2026 (language revision and adaptation to the current website design).