Hi, I’m Nani – the creative soul behind St’Art Atelier.

St’Art Atelier brings together Start and Art. The name represents the freedom to begin again, to keep exploring ideas and to allow new forms of expression to emerge through change.

My roots are in India, the land of laughter and colour. From there, my journey eventually brought me to Germany, where I grew up between the north and south of the country.

My time at boarding school meant that, from an early age, I was accustomed to having friends scattered across the globe. To maintain those connections, I spent many years frequently “on the move”. After completing my vocational training in Berlin, my studies took me to England, where I lived for several years. From there, I was drawn to South America for a time, further expanding my cultural and personal points of reference. Today, I live and work in Berlin.

Living in such different places, cultures and social environments has shaped the way I perceive transitions, tensions and the subtle traces that change leaves behind. All of this flows naturally into my art.

Often, I already have the finished work in mind; from there, it is a matter of finding the right materials and techniques to bring that vision to life. I work intuitively while remaining conceptually focused. In my mixed-media works, I use materials including plaster, clay, resin, acrylic paint, gilding and string.

I usually work on several approaches in parallel. Insights gained through one creative process can open up new possibilities in another. This gives rise to surfaces and structures that allow light and shadow to become part of the work; its effect changes throughout the day, and yet it always remains the same work.

I am interested in what change does to us – what disappears through it, what emerges and what nevertheless remains. My work explores vulnerability and resilience, presence and absence, and the traces left behind by words, touch, movement and connections. Some are visible; others can only be felt.

Dogs hold a special place in my life – as does my connection with nature more broadly. This connection has changed the way I perceive, see and feel. Dogs communicate without pretence. They respond to presence, posture, tension and the smallest changes. Through them, I have developed a different kind of attentiveness – to what remains unspoken, to quiet connections and to what may not be immediately visible yet can still have a powerful effect. This way of seeing is an essential part of my artistic identity.

Perception is never merely observation; it is always shaped by memory and emotion.

Just as light and shadow alter our perception and taste lies in the eye of the beholder, I want my works to leave room for the viewer to complete what is unfinished through their own emotions and to discover something of their own within it.

Enjoy exploring, and if you have any questions or a work evokes something in you, I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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