21DayStudio

Ilka Rasch

Wanderlust, Memories, Chaos, and a Zest for Life

While there is no place like home, for me there are three: Cuxhaven and Berlin in Germany, and Greenville, SC. I was born and raised in a Nordic sea resort and am still a child of the coast at heart - a “Küstenkind.” I fell in love with Berlin’s vibrant art scene while attending film school two decades ago, lived in Utah and Michigan, and I finally settled down in Greenville after joining the faculty of Furman University. These places continue to influence my artwork. Because of my academic training in visual and literary studies, I view my paintings as snapshots of visual story lines that capture my wanderlust, survivorship, and chaos that is anchored in the Southern slow-living demeanor and my zest for life.