A CONVERSATION WITH ARTIST STEFHANY LOZANO
A Conversation with the Artist · Antakly Projects
Stefhany Lozano
Colour, curiosity, cults — a Colombian artist building her world from Bogotá to Leipzig
Stefhany Lozano makes worlds out of colour. Her paintings and illustrations are at once whimsical and sharply observed — bold geometric forms, futurist energy, and a persistent fascination with cults, sects, and religions lending an air of mystery to compositions that might otherwise be mistaken for pure joy.
Born in Bogotá, she trained as an industrial designer before admitting what she already knew: she wanted to make art. A scholarship brought her to Germany in 2010, and Germany — as it sometimes does — refused to let her leave. She made a life there: as an artist, illustrator, wife, and mother. She describes it as the best thing that ever happened to her.
Currently based in Leipzig and working with a growing roster of international galleries, Lozano is at a moment of genuine expansion — solo shows, book fairs, collaborative projects with her husband Tim Romanowsky, and a first venture into augmented reality, supported by the Kunstfonds scholarship. There is a lot coming.
01 · Origins
Tell us about yourself.
I was born 36 years ago in Bogotá, Colombia. I always wanted to be an artist but I was afraid of not being talented enough, so I chose the next thing to it — which was Industrial Design. I was fascinated by the idea of creating beautiful objects and somehow thought that would be easier. Once I graduated I never did much with my degree. I ended up being the assistant of an artist, and I got motivated by a friend to draw — so in my free time I drew as much as I could and I haven't stopped since.
In 2010 I got a scholarship, moved to Germany and although it was never my plan, I ended up staying here and made a life for myself as an artist, illustrator, wife and mother — the best thing that ever happened to me.
02 · Influences
Tell us about your greatest inspirations or influences.
Pedro Almodóvar — his aesthetic and narratives always inspire me. I can see him in my work in one way or another.
Hans Ticha — he works with very sharp, bold shapes and I found my work to be very similar to his. I look up to him since he made a career not just as an artist but also as an illustrator, and this is something I struggle a lot with. He's created amazing paintings hanging in museums and illustrated really cool, sometimes creepy, children's books which I collect.
Inspirations & Influences
Pedro Almodóvar
Vivid aesthetic, bold narrative, emotional complexity. Visible in her work in ways she can feel but not always name.
Hans Ticha
Sharp, bold shapes. A career bridging fine art and illustration — exactly the path she is carving for herself.
Cave Paintings
The original mark-makers. Archetypal symbols that survive millennia. Foundational to how she thinks about image-making.
Cults & Ritual
A persistent curiosity about cults, sects, and religions — lending mystery and depth to her most joyful compositions.
03 · Technology
How are the current trends in technology and innovation affecting your work as a creative?
I will confess that I fought very hard against technology for a very long time. But my husband works with digital tools all the time and has taught me a lot. This year I began painting with digital tools and it's fun. I can tell you that I am planning to work with Augmented Reality. The first part of this project has been supported by a Kunstfonds scholarship here in Germany — so the next six months I will be working on this project and I'm very excited (and scared, to be honest) to see where this will take me!
04 · Process
We'd love to hear more about your creative process.
Most of my ideas come from reflections of my own life, experiences, and thoughts about the most simple things. I tend to write about them — I have a notebook where I write all of those ideas — and when I'm ready to start working on a new project I look at it and develop what most of the time is a series of works.
I try from time to time to change my tools, to try new things out. Last year, for example, I started working with a tufting gun — the creative process is so different from painting. I also like working with textiles and have done embroideries. My main technique has always been painting, for both commissioned illustrations and artworks.
"
As in everything, the art world is constantly changing — malleable and sensitive to what is happening in the world.
— Stefhany Lozano
05 · The Art World
What do you think of the art world and how it works in general?
As in everything, the art world is changing constantly and is very malleable and sensitive to what is happening in the world. From concepts to techniques, to the way we see, experience and possess art — it will always be in a state of constant change for sure.
06 · Wellbeing
What does wellbeing mean to you and anything in particular that you practice?
To me, having a balance between work and family is wellbeing. Having a daily routine is very important to accomplish that. I work from 9 to 3:30 — sometimes longer — and afterwards I pick up my daughter from kindergarten and spend the whole afternoon with her. We make things together. It also gives me the space to rest and come back to my studio with new energy.
Once I'm in bed I like to make a recount of my day and be thankful for all the things that happened — it makes me feel good.
Her Palette
Upcoming & Recent
Senora Presidenta Gallery
Solo Exhibition · Porto, Portugal
MNZ at MDBK
Two-person show with Tim Romanowsky · Art Museum Leipzig
Book Fairs
Frankfurt · Hamburg · Milan — new publications
Proyecto Bulevar
Ongoing focus project
Copyright © Stefhany Yepes Lozano.
Copyright © Stefhany Yepes Lozano.