Last weekend, I had the opportunity to present my work at the Fetish Festival Cologne, a new fair for the Fetish / BDSM community in Cologne, Germany. For me, it was the first time that I could personally present my erotic art to such an extensive audience - an occasion I had eagerly anticipated for weeks! I spent countless hours poring over the selection of artworks to display, creating and packaging prints as well as designing and assembling materials for my booth. In the end, I could hardly fit everything into my car!
But it was worth all the effort. Once I had set up and stocked my booth, I could not wait for the audience to arrive. It felt great to see how people stopped and gazed at my works, started browsing through my postcards, prints and my erotic Tarot cards - sometimes chuckling or whispering comments to each other, sometimes exclaiming their feelings quite openly and directly. There were only a handful of artists showing their work at the fair, most of the exhibitors were companies specialised in clothing, sex toys or custom furniture, so I think my work definitely stood out.
The 3 day event was a tremendous source of inspiration and insights for me: Through many personal conversations and chance encounters, I had the quite unique opportunity to see my work through other people's eyes - and experience their emotional reaction. Many people commented on the coherent color scheme and distinctive style of my work - something that, even for me, became unexpectedly apparent as I arranged my works of more than two years in a relatively confined space. And many times did I hear something along the lines of: "Your art is so intense, I can tell that it is real." That's probably the most meaningful compliment for me - seeing as I have specifically set out on my artistic journey to expose what's inside of me.
Last not least, I am super happy that so many visitors decided to buy a piece of my work and to bring it into their homes and their lifes - in the shape of stickers, postcards, postcard sets, small prints, big prints, framed prints, even books. On top of that, I actually ran out of the generously numbered business cards I printed for the fair.
So if you came back here to learn more about my work, welcome to the Coven of Corals! Have a look around, there is lots to discover!
Granted, it was a bit of an experiment on my end to attend the fair in the first place, given that it was quite a huge investment and a crazy amount of preparation for a "one-person-show" like me. Also, one might argue that my work does not necessarily fit into the scene organically. But all things considered, I am very glad that I took the leap. I was greeted with open-mindedness and appreciation. The insights I gained from our conversations will certainly take a while to unpack and set new things in motion. Thank you - and until we meet again!