After graduating from high school when I was nineteen, I just wanted to leave. I grew up in a little village, and I wanted to get as far away as possible. My travels more than a decade ago became the cornerstone of my art work: a video installation based on questioning people around the globe: "Where is your place of protection?"

In the course of my travels, I unexpectedly stumbled into my first artistic performance in Africa, during my stay with the Himba tribe. They covered me in red paint and locked me in a circle of lances. When I woke up and came to, there was all this red paint dripping down my body and I started drawing words with it on my skin. At that moment, it became clear to me that the ‘Word’ had led me to Africa, just as it would lead me to performing afterwards.

With this newfound insight, I returned to Germany, left my old student apartment and got myself a studio. Ever since then – 2008 – all I’ve been doing is making art.

Besides Berlin and Frankfurt/Main I also work in Los Angeles in a small garage off La Brea, which I started using back in the days when I was sharing a flat with director Roland Emmerich’s gardener who later became my assistant in LA. This was 2011 when on November 11th – 11.11.11. – I was doing my Art Angel Performance where I was landing on the famous Hollywood sign with life size illuminated LED-wings. Just like love and hate, L.A. as the city of angels has the dualism of light and shadow, illusion and reality or past and future.

After working with several other galleries I now have my solo exhibition at Friedmann-Hahn Gallery in Charlottenburg, Berlin.

All the women in the world, but most of all my mother. She is a textile designer and painter who studied at Folkwangschule/Essen which used to be an artistic epicene back in the days. I’d say my mom is the Rauschenberg of the 21st Century. She’s taken on everything relating to colour and dialectic, and she taught me Goethe’s theory of colour, as well as collage and rapport.
There are also the grand dames of art, from Marina Abramovic to Cindy Sherman to Jenny Holzer.

I do think, however, that women are still struggling to find their place in the art world and are not exhibited as often as men are.

I want to emphasise the fact that it’s possible to live in both worlds, that of an artist and that of a mother. That you can be both a hard worker and a woman. I admire all the ladies who are working, doing something they love, while maintaining a firm grasp on their femininity.

‘She’s nuts’ they’d say. ‘She can be very exhausting but you also always have the best time with her. She is always there for you and would do anything for you. She is a little insecure, which you would never think. She’s full of fear and has no fear at all at the same time. She never considers herself too good for something.

Goethe. If it were possible I’d really love to meet him. My favourite quote of his is ‘Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt, weiß was ich leide’, which more or less translates to ‘only those who know longing know what I suffer’.

I love L.A. because I’ve been there so many times and can always live and work there. There are so many freaks in this city, which makes it the perfect place for me. I also have a special relation to the island of Ibiza. My parents went there for their honeymoon and the photo album from that trip was always lying under my pillow when I was a child. I used to look at it every night before going to sleep, and I think it had an immense impact on me.

My own child was conceived on Ibiza, too. 😉

Do everything and never give up! As simple as that, but for me it absolutely makes sense and it is the truth. Life isn’t always a bowl of cherries but you just have to keep going! Be brave – no regrets and if you love, you can't be wrong!

Right now and with extended opening hours from the 26th to the 30th of April it’s Gallery Weekend in Berlin, where I will have my works exhibited at my wonderful gallery Friedmann-Hahn – pop in and check it out!
Adress: Wielandstrasse 14 in Charlottenburg!
My Solo Show is called MEMENTO MORI and after the opening party by Sotheby’s Europe the exhibition still runs until May 7th.

broadening your horizon. I believe that you do much better work and are able to give back to this world much more when you have a little bit of knowledge about it.

art.