Your name
Ina Königs
Place of birth
Wurzen, Germany
Place where you live now
Berlin, Germany
3 words to describe you
attentive, mystical, dark and light
Why do you take pictures?
Photography gives me the opportunity to slow down and find my own rhythm of seeing and understanding. When I look through the lens, I am more in the centre and more intensely connected with my surroundings. There is something meditative about being close in this way. And of course I love the aesthetics and the process of visual storytelling.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Inspiration is everywhere and it is constantly changing. I often find it in nature, in observing daily life and interpersonal relationships, in my intuition, in silence and in dreams. And of course in exhibitions, books, films or other art.
Who are your influences?
In painting, I was fascinated early on by the mystical Belgian symbolism of Antoine Wiertz and Arnold Böcklin or the masters of light and shadow such as Rembrandt and Nikolai Ge. Among the photographic artists I greatly appreciate are Rinko Kawauchi, Katrin Koenning, Alisa Resnik, Morganna Magee, Allan Salas, Bill Henson, Joan Alvado... In film, it's directors like Lynne Ramsay, Chantal Akerman, David Cronenberg, Ridley Scott, Andrei Tarkovsky... and writers like Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Tschingis Aitmatov, László Krasznahorkai, Edgar Allan Poe, ...
What determines the subject matter you choose?
It depends on the need to get to the bottom of a current feeling or question, to connect with it and create a framework in the process of exploration, or on stories that connect central themes such as nature, myth and humanity.
What impact would you like your art to have?
At best, I hope that my paintings convey a feeling and create something connective, perhaps a kind of dialogue between what you see and your own inner self. And perhaps it awakens the desire to find one's own expression, even if it is "only" a knowing smile.
What artwork do you never get bored with?
The Day-to-Day Life of Albert Hastings by Kaylynn Deveney. The Unfinished Dissertation by Boris Mikhailov. é by Masao Yamamoto. The paintings of Michaël Borremans. The sculptures by Auguste Rodin.
Is there anything you want to add?
Firstly, I am happy and grateful to be part of issue #13. Secondly, it's such a nice journey to discover all the other inspiring artists here. Thank you so much, see-zeen!

Undine
Project statement

The story of Undine describes a deep symbolic level that utilises the interplay of the elemental forces of water and land to illustrate the fundamental concepts of change and permanence.

The creature Undine, who comes from the water and is connected to the land, thus becomes a metaphor for the balance between adaptation and rootedness. Her existence and her journey are characterised by a constant interplay between these two forces.

Undine's search for a soul, which can only be satisfied through union with a mortal, reflects her innate need for connection and her search for belonging and love.

The photographs, taken amidst the rugged landscapes and lush, mist-shrouded forests of the tranquil Canary Island of El Hierro, convey a profound sense of the harmony of nature and the need to preserve it.

ina königs
@inakoenigs