Painting as Interior Geography. An Interview with Artist Anna van den Hoevel
From memory to travel, from natural elements to living matter: abstraction as a map of existence
“For me, painting always begins in memory, but it never remains static. I work with impressions, places I've been, people I've met, and atmospheres I've felt. And these transform as they flow through my emotions and instincts. In this way, the painting is both a memory and a vision, the past that merges into the future”, says Anna van den Hoevel, a German artist who grew up between Menorca, the Austrian Alps, and Munich.
Her abstract painting is born precisely from this constant movement between experience and imagination, in a research that intertwines geography, nature, and the human condition.
In her works, the layers of materials—acrylics, recycled lacquers, mortar, earth—become living presences, not mere technical tools, but true co-authors capable of conveying memory and history. The canvases thus transform into emotional maps, interior topographies that represent the complexity of reality, never pure or intact, but always in dialogue with the human presence.
“For me, home is a state, not a fixed place. It is the moment when I feel a deep connection to a place, a person, or a culture. My paintings are an attempt to capture such moments of belonging or failure and inner turmoil”, adds the artist, emphasizing how the concept of belonging, for her, does not coincide with a physical location but with a feeling of connection.
This vision is confirmed by her constant travels, the aerial photographs that often inspire her compositions, and her ability to transform the traveler's gaze into a pictorial language.
With upcoming exhibitions with Alday Hunken Gallery, including the Atlanta Art Fair, SCOPE Miami, and the 2026 Venice Biennale, Anna van den Hoevel's work continues to present itself as a territory of exploration, where memory, matter, and imagination merge into a single visual experience.
Your work almost seems like a map of the invisible. Do you feel more like an explorer, a geographer, or a witness?
A little bit of everything. I discover through curiosity, I map by collecting and layering impressions, and I bear witness by translating what I feel and see into something tangible. My pictures do not aim to define a place, but to visualise the emotional topography beneath it.
In your work, the material is alive: acrylic, mortar, recycled lacquer, earth... what meaning do these elements have for you?
Each material has its voice. Earth and mortar provide weight and texture, recycled paint carries traces of the past, and acrylic offers the flexibility to bring all these elements into dialogue with each other. These are not just technical decisions; they are co-creators who bring their history and energy to the work.
You grew up between Menorca, the Austrian Alps, and Munich: three landscapes, three sensibilities. Is one of these places that represents you most deeply?
All three are equally alive in me. The vastness and tranquillity of the sea, the strength and clarity of the mountains, and the cultural pulse of the city have shaped my perception. My work is a synthesis of these three sensations, not just a reflection of a single place.
In your paintings, nature is never "pure" or "intact," but layered and complex. Is this an aesthetic choice or a reflection of our times?
Both. For me, there is no such thing as untouched nature; it is always in dialogue with human presence, history, and change, unsightly influences. My layerings reflect this reality, beauty, and complexity, inextricably linked.
How much does travel influence you, and how much does the return journey?
Travelling sharpens my senses and fills my visual memory, but it is only when I return that the impressions settle and transform. The distance gives me the clarity to interpret what I have experienced instead of just depicting it.
What dialogue do you imagine between art, nature, and the human condition today? Can your work also be interpreted from an ecological perspective?
Art can be a mirror, not only for our admiration of nature, but also for our influence on it. I often work with materials that are both natural and ecologically controversial, not to lecture, but to raise awareness. For me, this is part of a larger exploration of responsibility and perception.
In an era where everything is "filtered" by a screen, what is—in your opinion—the role of physical, material, abstract painting?
A painting exists in space. It has weight, structure, and presence, and it changes when you move around it. It is created out of emotion from a human hand. This physicality offers something that a screen can never replace: the immediacy of the encounter, in which time slows down and perception deepens.
You have important exhibitions on the horizon: SCOPE Miami, Atlanta Art Fair, and the 2026 Venice Biennale. How are you preparing for these very different contexts?
Each context is its stage with its audience, but my preparation always begins in the studio. I stay rooted in my process and let the work grow intuitively. For me, it's not about adapting my voice to the place, but allowing the place to read the work in its way.
Interview by Fabio Pariante, X • Instagram • Website