Unusual and strange forms have always fascinated me. I’m drawn to things that are extraordinary in their nature and sometimes, I am too. Art is a daily companion; it embodies everything that mirrors the fascination of extremes: deepest calm and loud tones, gentle shading and powerful colour. Born in Ukraine, we moved to Germany when I was six, to a small village surrounded by green.

My world was sometimes unusual, and at the same time as quiet and ordinary as life can be. So I went looking for my own adventures. I dove into fantastical worlds, got to know mythical creatures, and buried myself in history. My pen became the tool that later turned into a paintbrush and a camera, though I never let go of any of them. I attended art school, then the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden. I sought out the human body itself as my canvas, working in film, theatre, and opera productions across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

These days, I discover my own extraordinary worlds. To satisfy my curiosity, I feast on the fine arts that inspire me, just as life itself does. Macro photography opens up worlds — I find the contrasts within surfaces especially compelling: their decay, their resilience. I develop abstract extremes digitally, letting colours and forms flow, mostly taking the shape of patterns. Watercolour has become a medium that lets my thoughts and express my feelings. I paint to release frightening feelings and dreams — they find a new home within the image. And when I sit on the ground watching nature and plants dance in the wind, I revel in peace.

Yet the contrasts have always remained — decay, destruction, life and growth — all of it comes together in my art. Suddenly melancholy takes hold of you, but then — hope. The environment shapes us, history forms us, but what do we make of ourselves? Question upon question. Doesn’t the search for meaning always surround us?

Through my art, through my own interpretation and approach, I want to keep working to uncover meaning — and to create it.

Photography: Anna Försterling