In the Artist Spotlight: Anna Javor

Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you? What do you do?

My name is Anna Javor and I have only been living in Vienna for two years. I have moved around quite a lot, but Vienna is the first city where I felt at home after a short time. The city welcomed me very gently. I am originally from Budapest, but I have also lived in the Ruhr area, in Hamburg, in Saigon and in Berlin. I work at Central European University.

How did you get started with art?

One morning in December 2019 I woke up and suddenly knew that I was going to paint – and exactly what. I made the first sketches right away, and within a few days the first painting was finished. I actually got my first commission based on the sketches alone. Since then, all my friends and relatives have a painting of mine hanging on their wall. (Or hidden in the basement.)

How did you find your style?

My style is constantly changing – since I started without any artistic training at all, I am always experimenting. Alongside my job and family, I have to catch up on a whole degree on my own; luckily I am very well trained in art history, so I can skip that part. I simply like almost everything that is red.

Which of your works would you call your favourite project?

I like many of my projects a lot, but I am especially fond of one of my first paintings, Androgyn, a new one called Anzix – although unfortunately that title only really works in Hungarian – and I really like the paintings I created together with my friend Tamás under the name AnTarT.

What should people know about you?

If you like my paintings, write to me. I am very open to all kinds of new acquaintances.

Tell us a little about the artworks now hanging in the café.

I really like all four paintings. They all deal with the gap between how we see ourselves and how society reflects us back. That is a very important topic for me.

What is your relationship with coffee?

I love coffee, and drinking good coffee is very important to me. For a while I had a café coffee machine with a timer at home, so that it was warm enough when I got up in the morning to make a fragrant, aromatic, creamy coffee. At the moment I have a Bialetti Brikka, and I have to say I do not want any other coffee maker – but all the rituals have to be followed: hot water, a preheated hob, a preheated cup. I often think in the evening about how lovely it will be to drink a great double in the morning. And one more thing: for me, coffee means espresso. I always forget that other people ruin their coffee with milk or sugar.