Original Artwork: Nina Hagen versus Rogier van der Weyden. – Anni Heuchel

40 x 50 cm with frame
Watercolor on Paper

In the painting “Nina Hagen vs. Roger van der Weyden” I bring together two very different women. One is the young woman from the painting “Portrait of a Young Woman with a Winged Bonnet” (1430-1450) by Roger van der Weyden. Her face has been replaced by Nina Hagen's. This combination particularly appeals to me because it combines the piety of the Renaissance woman with the provocative punk perspective of Nina Hagen. During the creative process, I asked myself which perspective would dominate in the end: Would Nina Hagen's punk triumph over the piety of the original sitter, or would the Renaissance woman's costume make the punky Nina Hagen appear more pious? I find these interactions very interesting, as they make us think about the relationship between tradition and subculture.

About the artist:

Anni Heuchel, born in 1990 in East Germany, is a self-taught artist who believes that the essence of a great body of work lies more in its content than in its technique.

She observes that modern art often prioritizes vanity and superficial elements, such as neon tubes, to craft pieces that are deemed spirited and valuable—an approach she actively avoids.

Anni pursued studies in philosophy, sociology, art history, and cultural anthropology in Potsdam and Berlin. Currently, her artistic exploration centers on questions of human identity, often expressed through portraits. She also finds inspiration in surrealistic, densely layered, and vibrant settings. Her interests include punk rock as a mindset, sexual identity, feminism, and morality, which frequently inform her work.