Karls traum ( Charles´s Dream )

The skeleton of this painting originated during a short visit my friend Charles made to my place. He fell asleep in an armchair and I drew the outline of his figure onto the canvas. Charles, who’s the son of a Nigerian ambassador in Vienna, and who I met years ago when I was a model and took a series of photos of amongst historical sites in Brno, has visited me every year since then. After he left, the sketch began to live a life of its own. Accompanied by an audiobook, The Egyptian, I started painting the very next day – and so not only my beloved Ancient Egypt and its wisdom but also contemporary Africa, through the figure of Charles, entered this African painting.

A man falls asleep and dreams a dream. Where will he go in life, what will he accomplish? What does he dream about...how colorful and many-branched is this dream? The geometrical shapes surrounding his figure suggest the boundless possibilities that life offers.

It is interwoven with ancient Egyptian symbols.

This painting remains in my collection. It fills me with hope and the desire to move forward in life, showing me how colorful and dynamic, yet at the same time harmonious, life can be.