I’ll start with how it all began. I grew up behind the Iron Curtain in an East German town in a family that was part of the political opposition. Despite the repressive conditions, my parents surrounded us with a spirit of freedom. Many of my parent’s friends were artists, my godmother was a photographer, and my uncle and aunt were painters. There were potters, graphic designers, and many crazy, creative minds who accompanied me throughout my childhood. 

As a child, I loved collecting things. Our street ended at a river, on the banks of which I searched for treasures with my friends -- pretty stones, worthless coins, or mouse jawbones. When it came time to choose a career, it wasn’t easy because the political circumstances meant I didn’t have all the options. My family was critical of the communist regime. Children from such families had no chance of going to university. Since I had enjoyed making books as a teenager, I wanted to become a bookbinder. When it was time to start my apprenticeship, East Germany was in turmoil. But in 1989 a peaceful revolution defeated the communist regime and brought down the wall that had separated us from the free world. Suddenly, I could travel and study wherever I wanted. After years of searching I began studying in London and earned a BA degree in calligraphy and bookbinding. Then I went to Dresden and opened a shop gallery.

At first, I didn’t believe I could be a “real” artist, because I’m not the type of person who needs to make art all the time. I also loved long conversations and activities with friends. I needed a framework, a project, to work artistically. That’s still the case today. I need to know why I’m doing something, be it a course, a commission or an exhibition project.