Wearing a protective suit, Laura leads Milena “Auri” Sattelmair through the light-filled building of the art academy in Munich. Auri explains that art as a career “wasn’t on her radar for a long time” – even though she always loved painting and drawing. After graduating from high school, she decided against studying media design and instead trained as a radio journalist.
Auri later completed a bachelor’s degree in art education in Augsburg, founded the journalist collective “about” and the queer-feminist podcast “Salut Sex” on egoFM. Her journalistic work addresses discrimination, racism, sexism and sexuality – areas that still shape her art today. Today she is studying graphic design and painting at the art academy under Gregor Hildebrandt.
Masks are required in the studio and the plastic workshop. In her series “and soon, before the fadeout, I will suddenly remember everything again” she works with toxic epoxy resin to seal her prints. Fine lines of linocut paint dance gracefully on the paper – sometimes individually, sometimes discreetly in the corners. The resin gives the works an imperfect but flowing surface.
Auri used to devote herself intensively to drawing nudes and was inspired by body contours. She explains that the delicate lines could also represent a connection to sexuality. With monoprinting, these lines often emerge spontaneously, influenced by sunlight and humidity. She finds the pouring process particularly beautiful, which gives the works a lasting strength: “They are preserved for eternity.”
During research, Auri came across the traffic light system of the BDSM scene, in which yellow stands for “Warning, I’m reaching my limit.” This fine line between pleasure and pain ultimately inspired “Do you feel yellow?” – an installation with black “Pain Wheels” that encourage viewers to test their personal limits. “The focus is on returning to your own body,” she explains.
Her art often focuses on the fusion of body and artwork. “I want people to feel the urge to get closer,” says Auri. Her advice to other artists: “People often underestimate themselves. Especially us women. So have more confidence in yourself – if it feels like you’re overestimating yourself by ten percent, that’s exactly right.”