“I like to focus on the things between the lines of a story: all the weird and wonderful characters that live in minds, in the shadows under beds, in a world only a step apart.”
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Bio
{ – 50-words bio – }
Minu Freitag is a writer, illustrator, and maker based in Wellington. Her current focus is on traditional printmaking, paintings on recycled wood, and paper mache sculptures.
Drawing from her experience in commercial design in Germany, Minu now lives and works as an independent artist and maker in New Zealand. She sells her artwork, limited edition prints and plush objects in selected galleries and online.
{ – 80 words bio – }
Minu Freitag is a writer, illustrator, and maker based in Wellington. Her current focus is on traditional printmaking, paintings on recycled wood, and paper mache sculptures.
Minu’s often anthropomorphic characters and scenes seemed to emerge from forgotten tales of lonely wanderers, fantastical creatures, and woodland spirits. Her creations are caught in a juxtaposition between light and dark, melancholy and hope—shifting their shapes, revealing inner worlds, or living in symbioses with other beings.
{ – 150 words bio – }
Minu Freitag is a writer, illustrator, and maker based in Wellington. Her current focus is on traditional printmaking, paintings on recycled wood, and paper mache sculptures.
Drawing from her experience in commercial design in Germany, Minu now lives and works as an independent artist and maker in New Zealand. She sells her artwork, limited edition prints and plush objects in selected galleries and online.
Minu’s often anthropomorphic characters and scenes seemed to emerge from forgotten tales of lonely wanderers, fantastical creatures, and woodland spirits. Her creations are caught in a juxtaposition between light and dark, melancholy and hope—shifting their shapes, revealing inner worlds, or living in symbioses with other beings.
Minu lives with her partner, tugged away in the hills overlooking the Wellington Harbour. She sells her artwork in selected galleries and online.
Exhibitions
- Mini Mix and Match, Quirky Fox, Hawera, November 2023
- Figure it out Quirky Fox, Hawera, July 2023
- Summer Show, Studio Toru, Eastbourne, December 2022
- Mini Mix and Match, Quirky Fox, Hawera, November 2022
- ‘Ink’ a printmaking group show at the Collaboration in New Plymouth, April 2022
- “The Wolf and the Fox”, new works on paper and wood, with Rieko Woodford-Robinson, November 2012
- “Wild thing”, Group Show at Black Asterix in Auckland, November 2012
- “A curious nature”, new works on paper and wood, with Rieko Woodford-Robinson, November 2011
- “Fragments…”, new works on paper, wood and canvas at the New Zealand Art Show, August 2011
- “Heads Up”, Toi Poneke Artists Annual Group Show, Wellington, May 2011
- “In Your Dreams…”, new works on paper, Deluxe Cafe, Wellington, October 2010
- “Head On”, Toi Poneke Artists Annual Group Show, Wellington, August 2011
- “Fragile Shadows”, new works on paper, wood and canvas at the New Zealand Art Show, August 2010
- “Woven Tales of Ink Silver and Silk”, Group Exhibition, Wellington, New Zealand, November 2009
Participation
- Mail Me Art, Short and Sweet 2013, Book and Exhibition, London UK August 2013
- Mail Me Art 2010: Medium Without a Message, Book and Exhibition, London UK August 2010
- Crammed Organisms 2008: The world largest Plush show, Book and Exhibition, Saint Louis, USA, 2008
Minu in the Press
- Companions on a journey: the beautiful, haunting creature creations of Minu Freitag – Felt Blog, August 2021
- Stuffed Magazine, December 2010
- Extra Curricular, Issue 4, November 2011
- Mail Me Art, Book 2010
- World Sweet World, Issue 5, March 2009
Frequently asked question
Q: What do you make?
A: My work mainly revolves around fantastical creatures. I paint, print, and sow, and I recently added paper mache to my materials.
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Q: How did you get into the craft?
A: As a child, building sandcastles, making ships from sticks, inventing stories for my stuffed animals—I just never grew up. Well, I worked as a web designer and multimedia producer—and still do to make ends meet—but when I moved to New Zealand, I decided to rekindle my creative endeavours. So I started screen printing and traditional printmaking, etching, woodcut, and drypoint. Recently, I began to make art toys using paper mache.
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Q: Do you have any formal training?
I studied architecture and media production in Germany. Both influence my art, but the primary drivers for my art practice are my boundless imagination and sheer resilience. Having worked in digital design and media for twenty years, I love to create tangible things with my hands and to work with recycled materials and traditional craft techniques.
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Q: What are your favourite tools, materials and processes?
Everything old and a bit battered, and staring at clouds – I believe that daydreaming is a lost art and an antidote to our constant need to be plugged in and entertained or productive. I start with rough sketches, then dive into the making process. Working with materials leads to new ideas and things to try out. Failures are a part of the process; nobody likes to see a great idea fail, but each failed and abandoned creature or project is a critical part of creating the final artwork.
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Q: What techniques are used to create your paper mache sculptures?
I work with both traditional paper mache and paper pulp clay. I developed my own paper pulp recipes avoiding nasty chemicals. The paper is shredded, soaked and mixed with starch or rice flour, chalk, and sawdust. As a binding, I add cellulose paste and linseed oil. Glycerol can help to keep the pulp moist and easy to shape. I use both positive and negative moulds for the basic shape and the armature; sometimes, an old lightbulb is all you need. The limbs are added using old wires, nails and screws, and I add details using pages from a battered volume of east European tales or music sheets I found in an op shop. The resulting figurine is sealed with either black or white gesso and painted with fluid acrylics using a glazing medium. Up to twenty layers in different colours and opacities create an almost ceramic-like glazing effect. The last details are applied using a traditional writing dip. Long drying times make it necessary to work on several creatures in different stages at the same time, so my desk is usually a chaos zone.
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Q: Tell us about your work environment.
I prefer a minimalist and organised environment, but space and storage are a constant struggle and chaos rules more often than not. I have a dedicated studio space at home, but my art projects usually take centre stage and spill into every nook and cranny of the house. Paper mache dries on my wood burner or window sills; wall spaces are taken over by artwork displays; recycled wood for canvases is stored in the hallway, etcetera. My 1905 settler cottage tucked away in the Wellington hills is a seemingly endless renovation project, and I am lucky to have an understanding partner. Still, toes are stubbed, and eyebrows are raised on occasion.
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Q: What inspires you?
The stories behind the things you see and experience all around you. Imagine you sit in a park and see this girl knitting on a bench. You start thinking about who she is, and where she is coming from, and you have an idea for your next illustration or soft toy.
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Q: Is there a philosophy behind your work?
I enjoy beautiful, simple things with a touch of the uncanny and weird. I love making and sharing ideas and inspiration. My aim is to keep my art practice as sustainable and ecological as possible, and working with recycled materials is essential to me. Most of my canvases are recycled wood; my paper mache creatures are made from recycled paper and cartons, and I am working on a series of plush creatures made from felt and recycled fabrics.
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