by Alexandra Mansilla
A Man Behind the Matchstickmen (And More). Interview With Wolfgang Stiller
28 May 2024
You have definitely seen the Matchstickmen — matchsticks with human heads — online or offline (for example, at Firetti Contemporary in Dubai). They were created by Wolfgang Stiller, a German artist. We were curious about how the Matchstickmen are made, what the process involves, and who is part of it. So, we decided to interview Wolfgang.
Special thanks to Mara Firetti, Céline Azem and the Firetti Contemporary team for making this interview possible.
— For those who haven’t read any interviews with you, can you describe the process of creating your amazing work, Matchstickmen? What materials do you use, who are involved in?
— The idea for the Matchstickmen series emerged from a movie project I was involved with. I produced dummies for a movie about John Rabe, who helped many Chinese people during the Japanese occupation of Nanjing. When the movie production was over, I had several head moulds lying around in my studio. I was playing around with them a little and ended up with the Matchstickmen. The first version was made with bamboo wood but was exchanged for squared lumber. The lower part is made from wood, and the top part is made from polyurethane. The models are random people who answer my ads when I am looking for new faces.
— The people you choose for creating Matchstickmen — do they need to have something in common? How would you describe them?
— I would say an interesting face is the only criteria they have in common. I place the ads in outlets which attract many foreigners; that way, I get a variety of Caucasian, Asian, Black, and Brown faces and many different nations, which I prefer, since the subject is one which relates to all human beings. When I started the project in China I used only Chinese models, which led to the assumption that I was making a political statement regarding China. That was absolutely not my intention at all. It was just due to the plain fact that there were only chinese models available at that moment.
I pick only bald people since the process of life-casting is much easier. Women normally have a large amount of hair which would require to be covered with a bald cap and a lot of extra work later. The second reason is that female heads are smaller. I am absolutely not interested in that gender question as an artist. Matchstickmen just represent human beings — end of story!
Photo: Achim Kukulies
— How much time does it take to create one Matchstickman?
— All in all, it takes approximately one month. There are many different steps until the final result.
— If you look at one of your Matchstickman right now, in this particular period of your life, what associations does it evoke? What feelings does it awaken?
— Actually, that is not the way I am working. I think there is a widely present cliche of the artist who expresses himself through his art. That is a romantic notion which I don't share. What I, as an artist, offer is a result of looking at the world and reflecting on it. The only feeling I have when looking at a finished Matchstickman is that I am happy with the way it is done. I am not emotionally involved with every work I do. That doesn’t mean they don’t evoke emotions in people who look at them.
— Why do all the heads have their eyes closed?
— Why would a matchstick need eyes? Just kidding. It is due to the lifecasting. Since the faces are taken from real people, one can’t paint the silicone with open eyes. I prefer it that way since the matchsticks are burned, which means the purpose of burning has to an end. They also have a more peaceful expression. At least most of them.
— Can you describe the process of creating the Matchstickmen kids' version? Was it more difficult?
— It is different since they were not taken from actual living kids. No mother would hand over her kid for that kind of process, and the kid would freak out. So I used a plaster baby head which was created in the 19th century from a dead baby. Back in the days, people would do this kind of death mask of a newborn who died to remember it.
— How many Matchstickmen have you created?
— I didn’t count. I do a certain amount of new faces each year.
Ginseng spirits installation (2015). Photo: Achim Kukulies
— Is there any story behind the creation of this work [that one above]?
— This work is somehow a result of spontaneous circumstances. As I mentioned earlier they came into existence by playing around. It has no particular purpose. Does it have a specific meaning? Yes, it does for me. This work represents the impermanence of our fragile human existence. It can be over at any moment, and therefore we should live our lives to the fullest. Being aware of the fact that we are going to die eventually and remembering it here and there might help us understand how precious every moment is.
Photo: Achim Kukulies
— Regarding your series "Twins", can you tell us how the idea came to you? Why did you decide to create it? Is there any story behind this work?
— I am an identical twin. So it has some personal references. When I started those series I was also interested in biology and the whole moral question of whether cloning is ethical or not. A twin is a natural clone. As a twin, it is always about who I am, and what makes me different from my other twin.
"Tribute to the Hereafter." Courtesy of Wolfgang Stiller
— You have a series of works called "Tribute to the Hereafter." Why did you choose that title? What are these artworks about?
— They are painted on this Chinese paper which represents money for the dead people. Those papers get burned on certain days when remembering the dead. Since the paper is strongly charged with meaning, I wanted to use it for a specific theme. So I used only kind of childhood memories since they also do not exist anymore.
— Could you please share what you are working on now?
— Wait and see. Normally I am not eager to talk about works in progress, but it will be some kind of "human bell".
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