Anna Louisa Belz/ Book Edition

‘’My curiosity for various forms of artistic expression—painting, music, textile art, photography, collage, and creative writing—was sparked early in my childhood and adolescence. Working across different mediums allows me to express distinct facets of my inner experience and approach emotional states from multiple angles. Themes such as identity, duality, and emotional transformation recur throughout my work. Photography has been part of my everyday life since the age of fifteen and remains a central element of my artistic identity. During my studies in digital photography at the Fotoakademie Köln, I discovered my passion for traditionally-made collage, which has since become my primary medium. My collage process is intentionally flexible: I rarely glue the pieces together, allowing the compositions to take shape freely before I finalize them through photography and print. Today, my practice brings these influences together into a visual language that is both intuitive and reflective, shaped by the interplay between material exploration and personal experience.

At the center of my artistic practice are collages that explore complex emotions and surreal inner worlds through layered, analogue compositions. This hands-on process—developed over many years—translates emotional states, societal tensions, and personal reflections into a visual form. My collages combine found fragments from magazines with dried natural elements, textured papers, textiles, and acrylic accents. I rarely glue the pieces, letting arrangements shift until they reach a temporary equilibrium. Photography and print preserve the fleeting, in-between quality of the composition. Alongside collage, I work with piano, writing, and painting. Each medium reveals a different nuance of the same emotional landscape and expands how I understand and express inner experience. Together, they create a dialogue of perspectives without repetition. Themes of duality, identity, feminism, and the search for personal autonomy recur throughout my work. Rather than offering fixed interpretations, my compositions invite viewers to question social expectations, challenge stereotypes, and embrace ambiguity. I intend to create spaces where meaning can be discovered rather than assigned, and where inner and outer worlds meet in quiet tension.’’