{"id":156,"date":"2024-07-01T23:57:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T23:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/?p=156"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:41:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T16:41:42","slug":"oliver-baudach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/oliver-baudach\/","title":{"rendered":"Oliver Baudach"},"content":{"rendered":"

ADHESIVE MEMORY<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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THE BIRTH OF A PASSION<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When did you start collecting stickers? What initially attracted you to this medium?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started collecting stickers in the early 80s. Before that, I was familiar with them through the famous Panini albums or other sticker sheets, but only for the purpose of sticking them on properly. I also have very fond childhood memories: I was fascinated by the look of my father's sports car, tastefully decorated with racing-style stickers. Part of the appeal of this medium lies in its size. I simply love the feeling of being able to hold wonderful, colorful works of art and designs in my hands. On the other hand, I also love this opportunity to add an individual touch to so many things in my daily life and to express my personality, character, and taste in a very creative way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did you want to create a sticker museum? Did you think there was a historical dimension to highlight?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The creation of the Sticker Museum was not as conscious and deliberate as one might hope\u2026 It was more a series of fateful moments: the publication of the book Skateboard Stickers<\/em>, the experience of the first Sticker Design Award<\/em>, My deeper immersion in skate, streetwear, and urban art cultures, and ultimately, my growing discomfort with my job at the time and my desire to escape it completely. I can't say, although it sounds better, that I immediately thought there was a historical dimension to highlight. But what I can say clearly is that from the moment the idea took shape, my goal was to offer this vibrant culture a permanent local platform to cultivate and preserve it forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

URBAN CULTURE AND VISUAL DEMOCRACY<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How do you choose which stickers deserve to be preserved or shown to the public?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was clear to me from the start that the museum exhibition had to reflect the activity and presence of sticker culture in the street. In other words, anyone can display their stickers anywhere, and as a viewer, you decide whether you ignore the design, find it interesting, or love it. That's exactly how it works in the museum. Each donor is represented with at least one sticker, and the visitor decides what they like or dislike. They don't receive a pre-sorted selection based on my tastes that would limit their choice or impression. In this way, I also showcase the widest possible range of styles and the great diversity of sticker culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How important is it to see them as physical objects, compared to digital archives like those of Catherine Tedford in the United States?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, it's generally much more fascinating to experience art in any form at exhibitions and museums, to stand before the work knowing it was created by the artist themselves. Since I consider the stickers in my collection to be works of art, I long resisted the idea of a digital archive. But I've also learned a great deal from Cathy and come to understand the possibilities and advantages of a digital archive as a complement to the museum. It's now on my list of projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your perspective on the relationship between the sticker and time (the moment of pasting, the ephemeral nature of the street, preservation, historical object)?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It's inherently sad to collect something, stick it up, and admire it on the street, when it's all so temporary. The glue dries out over time, a sticker gets scratched or faded, or it gets covered over or removed in the street\u2026 The older I get, the easier it is for me to accept this temporary aspect. Even for the key pieces in my collection, I'm now quite relaxed about the possibility of them deteriorating someday. Fortunately, it doesn't happen too quickly if you take good care of your collection, but it's unavoidable. And there's a positive side to it on the street: it always frees up space for new artwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TOWARDS A HERITAGE STATUS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Are you trying to build a memory of the present with these archives? If so, how do you select these particular pieces?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It depends on how you understand the "present" and how far back it can go\u2026 The highlights of my collection start with skate jewelry from the '70s and urban art treasures from the 2000s. For me, this period is absolutely the present, and I would love to create a record of this era as a particularly valuable part of pop culture. I choose stickers from iconic companies, special designs, and in the street art category, works by artists who have a certain status in the scene, including handmade pieces. Furthermore, I try to showcase as many different styles as possible in each exhibition space: character designs, typography, ad busting, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we think of stickers, we first think of underground culture; in your opinion, have they become "mainstream"?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this case, I would say that stickers have always been "mainstream" because of their initial uses as advertising tools or simple labels. Fortunately, a subculture developed from this mainstream, appropriating the medium and conquering it in the best possible way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the practical difficulties of maintaining a sticker museum compared to, for example, fine arts museums? Why is it important to you to keep it free or very inexpensive?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main problem is clearly covering the monthly operating costs. These kinds of subculture projects have fundamentally little chance of surviving on their own. I was fortunate enough to launch the online shop from the very beginning to establish a financial base. This allows me to survive, sometimes better, sometimes worse. Of course, I've tried to secure local, national, and European cultural funding, but I've never been successful. Art museums have a much better chance of receiving funding through foundations, sponsors, or networks, and their objects are more easily recognized as "art." Despite this, it was important to me not to charge admission. Firstly, to allow those less fortunate to access culture, and secondly, because the museum relies on the generosity of the global art scene and their donations. I receive free stickers from all over the world, which puts me in the privileged position of being able to expand my collection. It therefore seems only right to keep the museum's doors open to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Has creating this independent museum changed the course of your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founding and living with the Sticker Museum since April 2008 has been and remains the best thing that could have happened to me. Before that, I was at the peak of my career. I was earning a good living and held a high-ranking position. But after a while, I found myself in a situation where I realized that all the money and fame didn't compensate for the stress, pressure, overtime, and unpleasant work environment. So I decided to take a break. The fact that this fateful development occurred during that break is, of course, more than fantastic. Since then, I've lived with the deep conviction that time, relaxation, and enjoyment are far more important than money, although as a penniless divorcee (haha) with no children, I can easily say that\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LA M\u00c9MOIRE ADH\u00c9SIVE LA NAISSANCE D’UNE PASSION Quand as-tu commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 collectionner les stickers ? Qu’est-ce qui t’a initialement attir\u00e9 vers ce m\u00e9dium ? J’ai commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 collectionner des stickers au d\u00e9but des ann\u00e9es 80. Avant cela, j’\u00e9tais en contact avec eux via les c\u00e9l\u00e8bres albums Panini ou d’autres planches, mais uniquement pour les coller […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8,28,35],"class_list":["post-156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-collage","tag-ephemere","tag-monde"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":271,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions\/271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}