On the second floor of one of Berlin’s most lively and rambunctious event spaces lies something quite beautiful and special. Through the beer soaked exhibition hall which has housed some of Berlin’s greatest urban art and graffiti shows of the past few years, past the bathrooms so plastered with stickers that it is anyones best guess what the actual color of the walls and tiles is, up the graffiti covered stairs which read like a “who’s who” of the Berlin street art scene, and down a dangerously lightless hallway there is a door which opens up to an entirely different world… that of Andrea Wan.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Canada, Wan moved to Berlin four years ago and wasted no time letting people know who she was and that she means business. Between her impressively full schedule of solo shows and illustration work for magazines and other clients it’s a wonder how she manages to get it all done. There is no wonder however, why she is in such high demand once you’ve seen her work. Described by the artist as self portraiture, Wan tells the story of her life through surreal scenes of an alternate world where animal and plant life make up their own rules. Young expressionless girls break apart and dissolve into their surroundings or rather become consumed by them. Her signature acrylic ink paintings, although wild and chaotic at times, are painted with a delicacy and femininity which seems to bring a calm relaxing balance to the work. With so much momentum built up around her and no signs of slowing anytime soon, the future looks bright for Andrea Wan and we were thrilled to get the chance to sit down with her in her studio in Berlin’s iconic ‘Urban Spree’ for a chat on VantagePoint.