At the age of 17, the Portuguese artist Nuno Evaristo passed the window of an art gallery in Lisbon and was electrified. What he saw was a new world; what he saw was what he would do; what he saw was HIS world. After this defining experience, Nuno moved to London at 18 and began making his own art. Two years ago, after two decades in London, he moved to the rural idyll of Echte near Göttingen, where he works in a small garden studio. Nuno is a fighter for his art and for his idea of justice. He rails against the art establishment and fiercely defends the low prices of his work. He has often been criticised online and told that he cannot sell his art so cheaply. But Nuno responds passionately: “Art is for everyone. Everyone must be able to afford art.” That is why his A4-sized works cost only around €55.

It was time for the first test drive. We had ten days, and I wanted to meet some Facebook contacts in real life. Jean Schmiedel’s work had caught my eye on his Facebook page some time before: his wild, enormous portraits, trophy heads and mummies. There were also portraits of Jean online, showing him covered in tattoos, his face painted black, posing in front of his paintings. When we rang his doorbell, we wondered whether we should have told a friend where we were, in case we ended up among Jean’s trophy heads. Instead, an open, smiling and friendly Jean Schmiedel welcomed us into his studio and home and shared personal stories that gave us access to his art. I will return to make a video with him, so you too can gain a deeper insight into his fascinating work. Very exciting!