HBL ART presents our new artist from Switzerland: Viktoria Koestler!

Viktoria is an abstract and landscape painter who uses the classical oil-painting techniques of the old masters. For her inspiration, she combines AI-enhanced nature photographs with her interpretation of nature’s beauty. In other words, she bends reality and enhances it with 24-karat gold. 

Viktoria has exhibited her work globally since 2016 and had her first solo show in New York in 2019.

In this connection, the artist elaborates on her trajectory: 

With my abstract landscapes illuminated with 24-karat gold, one can dive into a world that embraces the dualities of life: the seen and the unseen, the spoken and the unspoken. I challenge societal misconceptions about lifestyles and communication.

I work with oil paints and 24-karat gold. The gold in my art represents light. When sunlight strikes the gold, different properties of the gold and its reflections transform the perspective of the landscape.

I would describe myself as a ‘feminine feminist’ who breaks through the feminist stereotypes. As a female artist, I do not hide my sensuality; instead, I make art to empower women and encourage men to embrace their femininity and sensuality, as well as question today’s youth culture and the trappings of ageism.

My parents often remarked that from the very first moment I looked at the world that I was born into, I was extremely unsettled and disappointed with what I found. It was as if I were born in the wrong place and time, and no matter where I was taken or whom I was introduced to, I rebelled against it. It was as if I already knew that I couldn’t easily fulfill my life’s plan in this world, and hence I had to manifest my own reality.

To me, creating my own reality means that I don’t automatically accept the circumstances that I am exposed to (e.g., societal expectations, places, or people). I love being surrounded by the monuments and ancient buildings in culturally rich cities (e.g., Paris) and creating my art in old castles, which has deeply affected the energy of my work. In addition, I enjoy engaging with people who have a higher purpose in life.

I create paintings using oil paints with traditional and modern techniques. I use light, mood, perspective, and real gold to catapult people into another world of feelings and thoughts. I wish to inspire people to reflect on the good and the bad as the two polar opposites of life that we must constantly face.

The gold in my art stands for light. Where there is light, there is also hope—a feeling that guides resilient people through unstable times.

By using gold in my art, I also create sensual experiences. I want people to experience gold on another level, not just as a measure of monetary value or an investment asset.