about me
I am Luisa Zay (b. 1990), living and working in Cologne. I studied illustration with a focus on painting, drawing and design at the AID in Berlin. Since 2018, I have lived and worked as an artist in Berlin and Copenhagen, and I am currently based in Cologne. My works have been exhibited in various countries, including Denmark, Austria, Taiwan, and Germany.
"In my work, I strive to uncover the physical world and present it in a pure, almost vulnerable form. A crowded supermarket or an ordinary refrigerated shelf – my paintings capture moments that serve as non-judgmental societal reflections. Whether and what stories are hidden behind my work is not for me to decide, but for the viewers themselves."
Education
2014–2018 Illustration and art study at Akademie für Illustration und Design, Berlin, Germany
2012–2013 ”Klasse Mappe” Art School, Angelika Margull, Berlin, Germany
2012 Art School, Kulturhaus Babelsberg, Potsdam, Germany
2011 Abitur and Art Advanced Course, Bielefeld, Germany
Scholarships and Awards
2022 ”Auf geht‘s 2022“, Scholarship, MKW, Cologne, Germany
2021 ”Auf geht‘s 2021“, Scholarship, MKW, Cologne, Germany
2017 ”Nachwuchs-Gold“, Fedrigoni-Design Award, Hamburg, Germany
Selected Exhibitions
2026 Group exhibition, Galerie Kras, Stumpergasse 16, 1060 Vienna, Austria
2026 Solo Exhibition, Raum2 and Süsswasser, Theobaldgasse 16, 1060 Vienna
2025 Group exhibition, Space Gallery, Jernbanegade 31, st, 6000 Kolding, Denmark
2024 Group exhibition, Galerie Kras, Stumpergasse 16, 1060 Vienna, Austria
2023 Art Taipei 30. International Art Fair. In Kooperation with Bluerider ART Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
2023 Group exhibition, The Stage Gallery, Bonn, Germany
2023 Exhibition event, Kunstkeller, Cologne, Germany
2023 Artist collective exhibition, The Turf, Cologne, Germany
2022 Artist collective prokject, ”Separee – geteilter Raum“, Motoki, Cologne, Germany
2022 Exhibition collaboration mit Art to Connect, Chapmans store, Cologne, Germany
2021 Exhibition collaboration mit IRDK, Helius37, Cologne, Germany
2018 Visual showcase, Diploma, AID, Berlin, Germany
2017 Visual showcase, Illustrationsmagazinprojekt, Fedrigoni-Design Award, Hamburg, Germany
Press and Publications
2025 Interview The Art of Too Much, Selfless Art Gallery, New York
Fairs
2023 Art Taipei 30. International Art Fair. In Kooperation with Bluerider ART Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan