Statement
Janine Seelen works as a painter and illustrator. In her predominantly large-format works, she captures situations and moods, utilizing the interplay of place, light, and individual objects to visualize questions of presence and absence.
Her technique relies on a delicate balance: between subjects—such as hovering tents, empty cinema auditoriums, or curtains that are too short—and a highly textured oil pastel style. The scenes appear both familiar and detached. The core of her work emerges from this tension between stillness and anticipation.
In the *RESET* series, Janine Seelen turns her gaze to toggle switches, control panels, and points of light—those inconspicuous points of contact between humans and technology. She is interested not in technical perfection, but in the psychological and societal dimensions of these objects. Start or stop, activation or interruption: the conscious decision inherent in the act of flipping a switch. A button becomes a symbol of agency and the loss of control; a switch becomes an image of the fragile equilibrium between activation and stasis.
With the *MY DAILY DOSE* series, Janine Seelen expands her repertoire to include greatly enlarged depictions of pills and their packaging—artifacts of a present defined by self-optimization, control, and standardized body images. Preserved beneath layers of resin, they stand as silent witnesses to the state of society.
Through her images, Janine Seelen creates spaces for pause and reflection. Her works never show the direct presence of human figures, yet that presence remains palpably felt.
BIO
Janine Seelen is a painter and illustrator with a career in the art and design world. After completing her graphic design studies in Germany, she moved to the USA and worked in New York and San Francisco for renowned companies, agencies, and publishers. In 1995, she founded her first graphic design studio in New York with a partner. In 2000, she returned to her hometown of Hamburg where she continued her interdisciplinary graphic design work. Since 2019, Seelen has worked exclusively as an artist with exhibitions in Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, Salzburg, and the USA. Janine Seelen lives and works in Hamburg.
CV, Short Version
_2016 Paintings and Illustrations with exhibitions in Germany, Austria, USA
_2002 Founder, Creative Consultant, Creative Minds, Hamburg
_2000 Creative Consultant, Jahreszeiten Verlag, Gruner & Jahr, Bauer Verlag, Springer Verlag, Hamburg, Time Inc., NY
_1993 Graphik Artist, Founder, Partner, NY and San Francisco
_1993 Master Visual Communications, HBK Braunschweig
Exhibitions and Fairs
2026 _Das Unvorhergesehene, Kulturhaus Marne, Solo Show
_Atelier_Transparent, Die BedĂĽrfnissanstalt, Hamburg, Solo Show
_ENCAPSULATED HAPPINESS, KIS_Altonale, Vor aller Augen, Hamburg, Duo Show with Marie Seelen
_ENCAPSULATED HAPPINESS, b-05, Kultursommer Rheinland Pfalz, Duo Show with Marie Seelen
_Systhemfehler Mensch?, Kunsthaus Hamburg, BBK Hamburg, Group Exhibition
2025_altonale Kunstherbst 2025, Hotel Pacific, Hamburg, Group Show
_OH Galerie, Karlsruhe, Group Show
_Art MUC, presented by ExtractArt, Berlin, Group Show
_Discovery Art Fair, Köln, Solo Show;
_viele farben, 2025, OH Galerie, Karlsruhe, Group Show;
2024_altonale Kunstherbst 2024, Hotel Pacific, Hamburg, Group Show;
_Supper Club GalerY, Jeanette Walther, Sprockhövel, Group Show ;
_Anonymous Drawings Berlin, Kunstraum Kreuzberg, Berlin, Group Show;
_Zeitlos, der salon, Eiskeller Hamburg, Solo Show:;
_New Works, Studio Show, Hamburg;
_Transformation, New Bedford Art Museum, USA, Group Show
2023_MoNo, ExtractArt, Berlin, Group Show;
_Position. Ausstellung und Forum, BBK Hamburg, Group Show;
_Le Debut, White Wall Collectors Club, Salzburg, Group Show;
_Sehtest, OH Galerie, Karlsruhe, Group Show;
_#006 Raum, Taylor Wessing x Galerie Holthoff, Hamburg, Group Show;
2022_Emergent realities and the fabrication of now, San Francisco, Cachronicle Volume 2, Online Group Show;
_Anonymous Drawings Hamburg, Hyper Cultural Passengers (HYCP) Veddel Space, Group Show;
_Discovery Art Fair Frankfurt, Solo Show;
_Art Matters 6, Galerie Biesenbach, Online Group Show;
2021_The Safe House, Studio Janine Seelen, Solo Show
Jury Work
2026/27_ BBK Hamburg
Publications
2025_Malerei ist ein wenig wie gärtnern – das Unterste zu Tage bringen, Niels Jürgens, linkedin.com/in/janineweitenauer/;
_Das Außergewöhnliche im Gewöhnlichen, Ana Bambić Kostov, https://discoveryartfair.com/de/janine-seelen-koeln-2025/
2024 _Transformation, New Bedford Art Museum, Museumskatalog;
_#30 – OUR HOUSE – Der SALON Podcast, Antje Wewer, Podcast
2023_Taylor Wessing #006 Raum, Unterwegs zwischen den Räumen des Innen und Außen, Belinda Grace Gardner, Ausstellungskatalog
2022_Transformierte Vielschichtigkeit, Birgit Franke, Architura Magazine;
_The Energy of the ordinary as created by Janine Seelen, Ana Bambić Kostov, discoveryartfair.com/janine-seelen/;
_In Between, Linda Hell, Art Market Magazine;
_Talk to me, Jeanette Kunsmann, A&W Magazin;
_Painting the Ordinary Surrounded by Space, BroschĂĽre
2020_Neo Brutalism, Artikel in ELLE DECOR ITALIA/CHINA/JAPAN, ELLE DECORATION UK
Selected Awards
2026_Vor aller Augen, Altonale Kunstpreis 2026, 3. Platz
2025_Art Matters 14, Galerie Biesenbach Berlin, Honourable Mention, My Daily Dose No 1
2023_Art Matters 7, Galerie Biesenbach Berlin, Honourable Mention, River House
2022_Art Matters 6, Galerie Biesenbach Berlin, Honourable Mention, Zones
2021_LICC, London: Final Selection, The Safe House, fine art series
2020_LICC, London: Official Selection, Interior Design, Neo Brutalism
2019 _Indigo Design Award: Gold, Integrated Design, Dr. Branding
_IF Design Award: Winner, Book Design, The Story of a Brand;
_DDC, Gute Gestaltung: Bronze, Book Design, The Story of a Brand;
1999_SPD: Merit Award, Mode Magazine, Single Page;
1998_Graphic Design USA: Excellence in Communication and Graphic Design, Le Journal de Chanel
1997_Summit Creative Awards: Silver, Zeitgeist, The Essence of the Moment;
1996_AIGA: Excellence in Environmental Design, L’Oréal, Cybershine
