About me

My name is Ivetta Karnelik. I was born in Moscow in 1985 and now live with my family in Germany. Ever since my childhood, I have been fascinated by people – their appearance, their charisma, their vulnerability and strength. Painting has always been a natural way for me to express my inner world.

After studying cultural studies at Moscow University, my path eventually led me to art. In Stuttgart, I attended the Kolping Art School and later the State Academy of Fine Arts. There, I found my focus in painting and discovered the joy of free, sensual forms.

Much of my inspiration comes from my everyday life – from my roles as a mother, wife and artist. During the coronavirus lockdown, I experienced how closely these worlds are connected. This intense period of my life gave rise to a deep need to express my feelings and personal experiences on canvas: closeness, vulnerability, resistance, trust, loneliness and strength.

My art is not political and does not seek to provide answers.
It is a feeling. A state of being. An encounter.
I paint what moves me – lines of sight, postures, moods. I try to use colour and texture to make the invisible visible: the quiet, the soft, the contradictory. For me, aesthetics and emotional perception are at the forefront – not the search for a clear meaning.

Whether portraits, body studies or inner images:
I paint people as I feel them – not as they are. Each work is a piece of my own aura, a silent dialogue with the viewer.