fine art
"Born in Germany I chose to live in Africa since 2007.
I learned about the pureness of golden light and met desert elephants in the vastness of Namibias breathtaking landscapes....faced social injustice, crystal starry skies, the wisdom of some ancient tribes, and felt the unconditional love of lions towards us humans, who are busy pushing the species towards extinction.
I met the rare african wild dog in the wild and learned the heartbreaking stories of orphans in different countries of this continent.
I found and spread love.- felt the red sand beneath my bare feet in african thunderstorms, held lost little fingers in the palm of my hands, got lost and found myself and had lions roaring into my face at dawn… I met people and animals on a same level of survival and unconditional love.
I was given a wonderful husband and together we now travel all over Africa by car and never stop learning.
In the silence of the bush I started my journey searching for God,- then experienced His peace and finally found home.
I made mistakes and learned what matters in life: be honest, love abundantly, give and forgive; have faith and just be real - be who you are meant to be - no one and nothing else.
God blessed me in every possible way and I want to pass on His blessings to all children, people and all wild and all abandon animals on this planet.
My instruments are my heart and my brushes.
Lets be creative together to do good in this world."
Annika Funke born 1983, is a German painter and photographer devoted to the African wildlife. Her repertoire includes watercolour, charcoal, oil and mixed techniques. Annika is a self-taught artist living in Namibia. She studied African Science at the University of Cologne before leaving for Africa in 2007. She has held several solo exhibitions in Germany and Namibia, published a book in Germany and supports wildlife conservation in Southern Africa by selling her work of African wildlife all over the world. She has spent years in the wilderness and at several wildlife sanctuaries in Namibia & Botswana. She regularly sketches wildlife while traveling with her husband in Southern Africa. As a passionate conservationist Annika Funke is the founder of the Kayamoja ArtConnects Trust in Namibia, which creates the opportunity for disadvantaged local children to connect with wildlife and wildlife conservation through art.
Known through german TV as "Seelenseherin" of the animals (the one who sees the soul of the animals) Annika's wildlife art has become famous for her charcoal portraits of mostly African wildlife, focussed on revealing the essence of the animal's soul. Her abstract watercolour backgrounds leave space for individual interpretation and emotional expression of the real story from the wilderness behind every painting.
If you ever had doubt that animals have souls and unique personalities, take a closer look into Annika's portraits of the wild....
Galleries:
Fine Art Gallery - Swakopmund, Namibia
House of Arts - Windhoek, Namibia
Imbizo Gallery - Hoedspruit, South Africa
Exhibitions:
2016 Windhoek, Namibia, Village Opera House „Etosha´s waterholes - a choreography“ solo exhibition
2013 Swakopmund, Namibia – Woermannhaus Gallery "Whispering Wildlife" exhibition with Konrad Zander
2011 Terrace, British Columbia, Canada
2010 Windhoek, Namibia - Warehouse Theater, exhibition complementing the book launch of „Soul of a lion“ (National Geographic publications) by Barbara Bennetts
2010 Linz, Austria - Gallery Kunstpfad„Glanzlichter - Afrika in Bewegung“ solo exhibition under the patronage of Konsulent (AT) Adolf Köhler
2009 Cologne, Germany - solo exhibition complementing the book launch of “Glanzlichter” (Drachenmond Publishers) by Annika Funke
Projects:
2016 founding the Kayamoja ArtConnects Trust non profit Organization in Namibia
2015 artist of the Namib Mills yearly cooperate calendar
2014 Flamingo (magazine) publication of article „Art for Conservation“
2012 “Ein Waisenhaus für wilde Tiere” (ARD TV documentary series, Series 1) TV presenter for the Harnas Wildlife Foundation
2010 National Geographic publication „Soul of a Lion“ (biography) Photographic contribution (ISBN: 1426206542)
2009 Book launch of “Glanzlichter” (sketches) by Annika Funke
(Drachenmond Publishers, ISBN: 9783931989453)
General:
1983 born in Hilden, Germany. Currently living in Windhoek, Namibia, extended stays in Canada and Botswana. Autodidactic education in painting, photography and prose writing
2000-2003 freelance Journalist for Westdeutsche Zeitung, Germany
2003-2006 studying for Magister Artium in African Studies at the University of Cologne
2007-2010 working for the Harnas Wildlife Foundation, Namibia
full-time artist since 2011
„The African bush is full of stories that I re-tell with visual means: Desert elephants swallowed by the morning mist, lions' roars so close that it makes the earth quiver, rare wild dogs in their natural habitat... Encounters with wildlife in the bush are one of a kind and unforgettable. It is Africa's nature that helps us understand our world and ourselves and makes us realise the greatness of our all Creator.“ Annika Funke
photos by Dirk Brzoska