„May the flowers remind us why the rain was necessary“

During my stay in Senegal, I’ve noticed wax fabrics that are produced there and that often show floral patterns. This is where the hibiscus blossoms come from that you see in the background of my collage. In the foreground is Aida, a lady who sells these fabrics in Dakar. She told me that hibiscus flowers are used for weddings in Senegal — at first, I liked that a lot. But Aida told me about a rather unromantic and painful reality. Aida and many other women in West Africa have to tolerate their husbands marrying a second or third wife. The women suddenly find themselves competing with each other involuntarily, and the „first“ wives have no right to object to this.

Aida told me how hard it was for her when a second woman moved in. The husband would no longer be able to take care of her and their children properly. Her home was suddenly downsized. Aida and many other feminists in Senegal are demanding that the respective laws be changed. Aida is not against polygamy in principle, the problem is that only men are allowed to marry more often. If she wanted to have a second husband — she would not be allowed. But Aida said she would definitely not want that — one could see it in the men, who usually do not find happiness either.

According to a patriarchal law, the bride and groom should decide whether they want to live monogamously or polygamously — once made, the decision cannot be reversed. Yet many couples would have preferred a divorce. Aida has expressed clear opposition to legal polygyny in Senegal. These laws are first of all a discrimination of women — but in the end a huge disadvantage for the entire society.

This is the second work dedicated to my friend Anna, whom I admire very much and to whom I owe a lot. Anna is from France too and she had the courage to open a naturally dried flower store here in Berlin, called Madame Fleurs. In Paris such stores are quite common — but in Germany, people are more used to fresh-cut flowers.

When I got a big box of leftovers from Anna’s production as a gift, I started to glue and scan these dried flowers on my paintings. I learned that not all types of flowers are good for making dried flowers out of them — but if you do it right, drying brings out the beauty and complexity of a plant all over again. I like to make miniature bouquets from these flowers and plant parts and paint a lady behind them to match the bouquet. And I like working with these flowers because it gives new use to the small off-cuts that would have otherwise ended up in the trash. Overall, dried flowers are much more sustainable than fresh flowers.

The gift I received from Anna inspired my art — but so did her courage to try something new. Her example has reinforced me to consistently follow my path as an artist. To give up my old office job. To put all on one card.

This picture is dedicated to the musician Lizzo. The flower petals for her crown are called Bougainvillea and hand-picked. I dried them in a book and combined them with flowers from Madame Fleurs. Lizzo’s music, in all honesty, is not necessarily my favorite. But still, I’m a big fan! Lizzo is very active on social media and expresses herself on various relevant topics. Her advocacy for acceptance of overweight people is courageous and she counters criticism with a lot of self-confidence. She shows how to stand up for yourself and how to fight back against insults with humor and intelligence. I like that message.

So more than Lizzo’s art, I admire her as an artist. The image she communicates of herself and her comments perhaps have more positive effects than her music. She is creative not only as a musician, but in all kinds of life issues. I find this self-image very inspiring and encouraging — for my own path as an artist. The engagement with art, the process, the constant research — that is at least as important as the piece of art itself, I believe. Nevertheless, I certainly hope that Lizzo — should she see it — would like my collage.

Blooming was made two years ago, when my best friend was expecting her first child — it is dedicated to her and her baby. The work will always remind me of this time and the special glow in which my friend was shining.

I have shown the motive in all my exhibitions so far, and have printed it in many different formats. For my exhibition at Kaffeemitte, I wanted to try something new: with the help of street artist Dared, I enlarged the motive so that it fills an entire wall. I projected the drawing onto a large paper, transferred the lines and then colored and cut it out. Then I glued it up with brush and wallpaper paste. I am really happy how the drawing blends with the space.

Sometimes you hear that only galleries or museums are the right place to present art appropriately. But we can reach hundreds of people in a place like Kaffeemitte. Seven days a week. An audience sees my work that has not deliberately come to see art — an audience I wouldn’t have reached otherwise. That’s the attraction of street art as Dared creates it.

Part of the challenge is using the most durable glue — I was still having my difficulties with the dosage, so the day after the opening of the show I was back at Kaffeemitte. My paste-up was coming loose and I wanted to fix it. When I got there, there was a stroller in front of the wall and I waited without hurry until the mom had gotten her coffee. Meanwhile, I thought again of the time when this work was created, and my friend and her daughter Eva, who has since started to play with brush and paint herself.

Augustin, a friend from Paris, has written a poem and this painting is dedicated to him and his wonderful craft. He describes very sensually how a woman, perhaps on a hot summer day, lies in her bed. She wears only delicate underwear and she is full of romantic desire. The poem is clearly „culottée“ — that is, a bit cheeky and perhaps typically French.

Of course, I have already tried to translate the poem for my friends, but I have not succeeded. Not in English and certainly not in German. Although I live in Berlin for six years, I hardly speak German. Here in Berlin, all our friends speak English, it’s a group of many nationalities. The downside is that subtle poems in a foreign language cannot be appreciated. Like Culottée, which is full of nuances in the language — it is worth learning French for it. I liked the poem so much that I wanted to make a painting out of it. So I placed individual sentences from it along a woman’s back and imagined what „culotte“ she might be wearing.

PETITE CULOTTE
Ribambelle de dentelle
à fleur de peau
la floraison
en soie
sur ta peau fine
et soyeuse
qu’effleure
la saison
riante
et florissante
du désir.

This image is inspired by a dancer at the Moulin Rouge in Paris — a place that is part of my identity as a French woman. The dancer was wearing stockings, which I replaced with flowers in my painting. The French word effeuillage is ambiguous, it has two meanings. A plant can lose petals as a person can undress — both can be very sensual. But not only the name of the artwork is somewhat provocative for some Germans. Effeuillage can be pronounced correctly only by the most practised francophiles, I have noticed.

And I’ve also noticed that people in France think differently about the Moulin Rouge than people in Germany. Women undressing in front of an audience is not a classic symbol of feminism in Germany. On the contrary. And there is some truth to the criticism, because places like the Moulin Rouge have a dark, misogynistic history. But I try not to fall into stereotypes. Because nowadays the performers at Moulin Rouge are celebrated stars, they wear crazy clothes and seem to enjoy life. Things are never black and white — but colourful and full of facets.

In Berlin, most clichés are fortunately invalid. And if cliché, it’s in a fun way. The style and the motives of the Moulin Rouge have become icons that inspire artists all over. It reminds me of Paris when I see popular burlesque shows like The Teaserettes — and the cheeky photographs by my friend Zora Jurenkova, which I warmly recommend to you.