Vanessa Kocking

Born in Chile, the artist Vanessa Kocking was raised by a German father, a director, and a Chilean mother, an actress, whom encouraged Kocking to pursue her artistic talent. While primarily an artist, Kocking currently also works as an art director and a graphic designer in New York. Kocking studied Fine Art and Graphic Design at the University of Art, Science and Communications in Santiago, Chile before moving to Miami, U.S., in 2001, featuring in Art Basel and Art Miami. In 2012, Kocking moved to New York, where she continues to exhibit and paint. Kocking has exhibited in the U.S., Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Working in various mediums including paint, ink, and digital art, Kocking’s works invoke thoughts of trans-dimensional landscapes, feelings of psychological awareness, and serenity. Kocking uses vibrant colour and deep darkness as contrast, using layering to soften the effect, often in the background, at other times utilising harsh borders to emphasise, as in objects such as stairs and ladders leading to the surface of the landscape from deep within.

Non-representational, but not abstract to the point that there are no discernible forms, Kocking’s works carry an ethereal presence thanks to the soft use of light and shadow, whilst the various intricate details provide visual depth and texture to her hazy, washed-out backdrops. There is an element of the industrial to Kocking’s work – the ladders and platforms resemble those found in a factory, or a retro videogame. Sometimes these elements are combined with splashes of vibrant pink, red, or orange, giving the work layers and scope, opening up avenues for interpretation regarding the mood and meaning; changing the almost somber tone of some pieces to a riotous triumph of hope and existence.