Renate Schukies (*1951), an artist and ethnologist living in Hamburg, expresses her deep love for living beings and the cosmos in classical paintings with strong figurative elements. Her work is a profound, spiritual exploration of the transcendental fascination of global landscapes and the inner structure of the cosmos of living beings. 

Schukies is considered a pioneer of fluorescent art. Through the development of innovative techniques and the targeted use of bright colours, she allows her visual worlds to oscillate between superficial reality and a visionary plane. 

Her artistic work is inextricably linked to her scientific work. Her two years of field research with the Cheyenne in North America had a formative influence. Her work is permeated by inspiration from the traditional body painting of indigenous peoples – as an expression of cultural spirituality. 

These ethnological insights and her comprehensive research on sacred signs and symbols flow into her compositions like a living stream. They act as a catalyst that culturally redefines the figuration of her works and charges them with a deeper level of meaning. 

Text: Christoph Bodmer
Photo: Desirée Buchwald