Josephine Florens

Josephine Florens (born 1988, Odessa, Ukraine) is a professional visual artist currently living and working in Germany after relocating due to the war in Ukraine. Originally trained in law, she holds Master’s degrees in Civil and International Law; however, her lifelong commitment to visual art ultimately led her to pursue painting as her primary vocation. Since 2017, when she began formal studies at the Art-Ra School of Fine Arts, Florens has developed a distinctive artistic voice marked by technical rigor, emotional depth, and psychological sensitivity.

Working primarily in oil, with occasional use of acrylic, Florens engages a wide range of genres, including portraiture, landscape, religious subjects, still life, animals, and marine painting. She describes her approach as modern vintage — a synthesis of classical pictorial traditions and a refined contemporary sensibility. Her work is characterized by muted, time-worn palettes, symbolic undertones, and a quiet intensity that invites contemplation rather than spectacle.

Despite the profound disruptions of recent years, Florens has remained deeply committed to her artistic practice. She has actively participated in international competitions, curated exhibitions, and collaborative projects, while continuing to develop long-term painting series. Her works have been featured in international publications and juried selections, and she has also served as a juror for international art competitions, contributing her expertise to the evaluation of contemporary artistic practices.

Florens is a member of the College Art Association (CAA), USA, where she serves on the Annual Conference Committee, as well as a member of the Odessa Marine Art Union (Ukraine). Her work reflects a sustained engagement with themes of memory, human vulnerability, inner resilience, and the relationship between human nature and the natural world, positioning her as a thoughtful and distinctive voice in contemporary figurative painting.

🌐 https://josephineflorens.com

ARTIST RESUME — JOSEPHINE FLORENS

Contemporary Painter

Location: Germany / Ukraine

Medium: Oil and acrylic painting

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EDUCATION

Art-Ra School of Fine Arts, Odesa

Traditional studio training in oil painting under individual mentorship.

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SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

Ars Electronica Center, Austria

Museum of Wild and Newfangled Art, New York

Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art

International Biennale “Frozen Images,” Lithuania

Solo Exhibition — All-Ukrainian Center of Bulgarian Culture

Solo Exhibition — Art Salon Khudozhnyk, Odesa

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AWARDS AND HONORS

American Art Awards

Whitelock Art Center Prize

The Keller Prize

Finalist in multiple international art competitions

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PROFESSIONAL ROLES

Juror, Apexart International Open Call

Judge, NFT Design Awards

Jury Member, Curatone Art Platform

Committee Member, College Art Association Annual Conference (2026–2029)

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PUBLICATIONS

Cover feature in an American academic journal

Artist interviews in international art and literary magazines

Profile and features across U.S. and European publications

Multiple artworks selected for journal covers and curated visual features

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ARTIST PROFILE

Josephine Florens creates paintings centered on memory, light, resilience, and emotional depth. Her “modern vintage” aesthetic blends classical technique with contemporary sensibility. She has been featured internationally in journals, magazines, exhibitions, and curated art projects, and continues to expand her body of work through sincere, symbolic, and emotionally focused imagery.
ARTIST STATEMENT

My paintings are born where memory meets light. I paint what cannot be held: a moment already turning into history, the quiet beauty that lives inside the most fragile human states. In my layers of oil and acrylic, there is the breath of past years, the echoes of my home city, childhood gestures dissolved by war and distance, and the soft, almost imperceptible strength of those who continue to live, love, and remember.

I call my direction modern vintage — not a style, but a way of sensing the world. It is an attempt to unite classical depth with contemporary vulnerability, to restore a lost dialogue between inner silence and outer reality. I paint light as memory and shadow as a path home. Each image carries a story about what remains within us after displacement, loss, and new beginnings.

My works create a space where the viewer may hear their own echo. I want the image not to speak loudly, but to open slowly, like trust. I strive for a kind of beauty that does not dazzle but heals; a kind of truth that does not wound but returns a person to their own depth.

Every painting is an attempt to preserve something that might otherwise disappear: a feeling, a gesture, a breath, the light of the last hour before change. Sometimes oil allows me to enter deeper, and sometimes acrylic lets me breathe faster and lighter. The material becomes a voice — quiet or insistent, transparent or dense — but always sincere.

I paint to return tenderness to the world. And to remind us that even in the darkest times, human dignity and inner silence continue to shine.
PRAISE

“Her oil paintings combine classical depth with emotional clarity and a distinctive contemporary voice.”

— International Art Platform

“Her ‘modern vintage’ style stands out for its quiet poetics and sensitivity to human experience.”

— Artist Profile

“Her work bridges cultural memory and personal narrative, creating an atmosphere of intimacy and reflection.”

— Artistic Biography

“Her paintings reveal a lyrical approach to realism, infused with symbolism and emotional nuance.”

— Art Publication

“She creates images that feel both tender and powerful, rooted in honest human experience.”

— Contemporary Art Commentary

“Her visual language demonstrates a rare balance between technical skill and emotional resonance.”

— Editorial Review

“Her work has gained recognition across museums, journals, and international exhibitions.”

— Press Summary

“Her art is described as poetic, symbolic, and quiet — a language of sincerity.”

— Artist Interview

“She brings classical sensibility into the present through light, memory, and emotional depth.”

— Professional Art Platform

“Her paintings have been selected internationally for journals, covers, and curated exhibitions.”

— Editorial Feature