Stefanie Thiele
It’s somewhat prescient that Stefanie describes her works as representations of roads not taken: With the launch of this latest Alice Riot collection, she traveled for the first time to the U.S., joining us for our September 5 launch event in New York City. We frankly can’t wait to see the future works her trip will inspire.
Stefanie Thiele - @itsstefa
Based in Hamburg, Stefanie was born, raised and educated both in Germany and the U.K. She describes her work through the lens of her own emotions and experiences, comparing herself to the legendary Vikings, whose prospects made them fight harder for success. She sees her paintings as a directory of suppressed cravings and roads not taken, a difficult-to-describe mix of euphoric "what ifs" and melancholic “could have beens” translated into busy, colorful compositions that are seemingly unable to find a clear focus.
Stefanie Thiele – Sticks and Stones, 2019 – acrylic on canvas, 30”x40”
Sticks and Stones is an arresting work, both with its bright, bold hues and with the perspective of Stef’s process. What impressed Kate and I with Stef’s work is the fact that often whole pictures are buried beneath the pixels that leap from the canvas. Completed works often show tiny parts of the past, peeking through the hundreds of layers of thick brushstrokes and poured and thrown acrylic paint. Each painting is a battlefield – a back and forth between giving up control and winning it back.
In one of our early conversations, Stef shared her interpretation of #WearTheGallery, comparing it to live music: “A rock album can never match the experiences and sounds in front of the stage. This is an opportunity for a woman to fully immerse herself in my work, by wearing it.”
We love that comparison. Rock on, Stef.
