The human body, the skin, serves in Anika Hochstenbach’s paintings as a landscape in which stories unfold. Although the body carries us, our relationship with it goes far beyond that. It is not merely skin that we inhabit; it shapes how we feel, how we move through the world, and how we perceive ourselves. By zooming in on the infinite details found on the skin, the human form becomes fascinating material to explore: material that is soft, deforms when bent, can change color, and bears fine hairs and freckles.

Through painting, Anika searches for places or moments in which the body feels at home and can come to rest, such as in nature or with another person. The point of departure for this search is the experience of discomfort and alienation one may feel toward oneself. As a result, the images sometimes appear to inhabit the boundary between a mythical and the real world.