Since 2009, working independently
across visual art, illustration, design and writing.
–
2024/2025
Successful completion of the course
»AI in Society«
Addressed the key ethical, socio-legal,
and politico-economic considerations relevant to
Artificial Intelligence and its applications.
MOOC Una Europa
(University of Helsinki, University of Edinburgh,
Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University)
–
2002–2009 Art Director
in various Advertising Agencies/Publishing Houses,
Hamburg, Germany:
Bauer Media Group/Art Director Magazine Development,
Schaffhausen Advertising GmbH/Art Director,
Scholz & Friends NeuMarkt/Junior Art Director,
Hakuhodo GmbH/Junior Art Director
OCTOBER 2006
Graduation as a qualified Designer (Diploma)
at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg.
MARCH 2002–OCTOBER 2006
Study of Illustration and Communication Design
at the »University of Applied Sciences« in Hamburg.
GERMANY, NETHERLANDS, FINLAND
Born in Germany. Grew up in Germany,
Netherlands and Finland.
BORN 1981
APPROACH
My work often combines clean vector graphics with organic elements — though not always. Sometimes simplicity itself carries the expression. I am inspired by the purity and geometry
of abstract and constructivist art (Mondrian, Tatlin, El Lissitzky, Malevich), as well as by the clarity of Scandinavian design (Aalto, Aarnio).
Equally influential are the bold textile patterns of Maija Isola (Marimekko), the graphic directness of Pop and Op Art, and the expressive reduction found in the work of Kirchner
and the “Brücke artists”.
Everyday elements also inform my visual language, transformed through isolation, enlargement, repetition, or framing.
Design systems such as Otl Aicher’s pictograms or urban signage inspire me through their precision and reduction. The tradition of poster art and the structural compositions
of Frank Stella and Christopher Wool further shape my work.
Beuys’ use of material and his sketch-like drawings have deeply influenced my approach.
In my own illustrations, I explore this “unfinished” quality by leaving digital elements incomplete — using visible pixels, outlines, and rough vectors to preserve a sense
of process and imperfection. I often leave my drawings and physical works
deliberately unfinished or sketch-like.
In combination with manual and digital techniques, this approach creates a dynamic
tension, making the pieces more engaging and thought-provoking.
This perspective also informs my approach to AI — not as a substitute for artistic work, but as one tool within a contemporary creative process. What gives a work meaning is not the tool itself, but the acts of selecting, rejecting, shaping, and giving form. Used consciously and critically, AI can support research, structure, variation, and reflection.
SCRIBBLING
spontaneous, aimless drawing or making is essential to my creative process.
These spontaneous sketches, or “image pieces,” often serve as the foundation for my later works. This intuitive “scribbling” often sparks new associations and ideas. It allows images
to emerge naturally, connecting thought and material in unexpected ways.
COLLECTING
Just like scribbling, collecting is essential to the development and creation of my work.
I’m always collecting — even when I’m not actively working on an illustration or image —because something “found,” or rather “discovered,” will almost certainly find its use eventually. Most of my ideas and materials come directly from everyday life and my surroundings.
COLLAGE
By combining these freehand elements with digital graphics, my work gains an organic, imperfect quality. The computer-based shapes become less rigid, more alive —
with textured surfaces, subtle irregularities, and layered colors.
When working solely non-digital, I appreciate the spontaneous expression and the element
of chance that, in my view, define collage itself.
