Jorin Tiedemann, a 34-year-old artist based in Munich, Germany, has transformed a colorful and unconventional life journey into an expressive art form. After years of exploration, personal challenges, and diverse work experiences, Jorin found his passion for art, culminating in formal training at Freie Kunstwerkstatt München.
Drawing inspiration from a mix of classic painters, comic book artists, and their own vivid imagination, Jorin creates art that is vibrant, figurative, and unapologetically unique. As a member of the artist collective "Follow the Mango", Jorin continues to explore his artistic voice while inspiring others to embrace creativity and self-expression.
We had a short interview with Jo to get to know him better:
Tell us a little about yourself, what is your personal life story?
Hello, my name is Jorin Tiedemann and I‘m an artist from Munich, Germany.
I‘m 34 and have just finished my three-year training at Freie Kunstwerkstatt München, which is a small art school.
My life story is a little messy: in my teenage years I was kind of wild, i fancied myself a punk, had a lot of run ins with the police for mostly stupid reasons like stealing or destroying stuff and I finished school not knowing what I wanted to do in life. So in my twenties I jumped from job to job, for example I tried to become a carpenter, worked in a 5 star hotel and in cinemas (as service staff and i worked the projector), did office work and retail, worked as a dishwasher and in a youth cafe, so I did a lot of different things. I also walked the Camino de Santiago twice, lived in Ireland for three months and smoked way too much weed.
When i was 21 I was diagnosed with recurring depressive episodes, at 27 with BPD and this year with ADHD, so that‘s probably why i can‘t keep a steady, normal job…
When did you discover your interest in art?
I was always kind of surrounded by art growing up, my dad was/is a hobby painter and later in school, 2 of my best friends drew a lot, so at some point I started to. For the longest time i only drew graffiti, I tried my hand at spray painting, too, but i mostly drew.
And then about 5 or 6 years ago i kind of started to take it a little more seriously and branched away from letters, because of my sister (we‘re not related, but it feels like it).
Then, in 2020, i was in a clinic for a while and there i got a lot of positive feedback for my drawings, so i decided to apply for a design school, which thankfully didn‘t want me, because then my mom found the Freie Kunstwerkstatt München, and offered to pay for the first year, which turned into the full 3 years and that was the best decision. I‘m very grateful to her for that.
Can you give examples of artists that inspire you or that you admire?
I like Van Ghogh a lot and Egon Schiele, Mel McCuddin, Eduardo Kingman, Oswaldo Guayasamin. But I am also very much Influenced by comic book artists and mangaka like Moebius, Don Rosa, Don Martin, Eichiiro Oda, Takehiko Inoue, Yukito Kishiro.
How can we describe Jo's art?
My art, i think, is very expressive, colourful, figurative, weird and silly.
How do you decide when a painting is “done”? Do you ever revisit finished pieces?
Most of the time I stop painting, when i feel like it. At some point the paintings just feel done. Other times I revisit and revisit until I have overworked the piece and then i paint over it.
Are there any non-artistic influences, like a song or a scent, that consistently inspire your work?
I‘m constantly listening to music, right now I find free Jazz to be very inspiring; but what I listen to changes a lot.
If you could time-travel to any art movement, where would you go, and how would you contribute?
I don‘t know, to be honest. I like where I am right now.
Have you ever hidden a personal story or secret in your art that only you know about?
I don‘t think so, I‘m not a very subtle person.
Imagine someone commissions you to create a painting that represents their life— how would you approach it?
I would try to find out as much as i can about them until a rough idea forms in my head, which can take a while, and in the end it would probably be a weird portrait.
Have you noticed different interpretations of your pieces from your audience?
I haven‘t had a lot of exhibitions, yet, but I‘m always more interested to hear what others think about my art and their interpretations, then explaining my thought process.
What is "Follow the Mango”?
Follow the Mango is the name of my artists collective, consisting of me, my father Ulrich Koprek, my sister Miriam Fassbender, her sister Lena Rappert, two schoolmates from art school Lorenz Klaus and Elli Stemmer-Mallol and my fathers‘ godson Laurin Bacher.
If you‘re interested you can find us under our website www.followthemango.de or in instagram under follow_the_mango
How do you think social media affects artists?
I can only speak from my perspective but I think it‘s a two-edged sword, because in the one hand it is way easier to get your art seen by people all around the planet, but on the other hand you have a lot more to compare your art to and it‘s hard to escape that; comparison i the thief of joy.
What’s one question you wish people would ask about your art but never do?
How did you do that and can i buy that :)
Are there any future projects?
Yes, in October of 2025 Follow the Mango has an exhibition in the ubo9 in Munich and maybe more…
How would you define your art in one sentence?
My art is an extension of my being and a way to learn to be more free.