The feeling of having lived most of her life behind an imaginary pane of frosted glass led to a discrepancy in her character: internally, her life was loud, maximalist, and resolute, while outwardly she remained shy and eager to conform. Eventually, the desire to step onto the big stage won. That longing still drives her artistic practice. Through humor, nostalgia, and the embrace of the supposedly “embarrassing,” she dismantles ingrained shame, both her own and that of others.
Growing up as the middle child among five siblings, she constantly navigated the tension between belonging and establishing boundaries. In her work she asks questions of appropriation, formative influences, and identity: When does “yours” become “mine”? Why do we anchor meaning and connection in everyday objects? And what role do family dynamics, faith, and pop culture play in all of this?
Her practice is driven by a joyful, hedonistic impulse to make something precious from what others have discarded. Found objects mingle with papier-mâché, mixed-media paintings and handmade relics. She builds altars to honor the mundane, memories, and simple pleasures, expanding a world where sentimentality, humor, and unapologetic self-expression are celebrated.
Biography
Stefanie Thiele grew up in Hamburg as part of a big family. Through maximalist paintings, sculptures, and installations, she explores the relationship between personal biography, emotional attachment, and the ways we assign meaning and value to everyday objects.
Most recently, she exhibited alongside three friends at the Fabrik der Künste, where she presented Plastic Confessional: a walk-in chapel constructed from discarded toys, found objects, and handmade relics. What began as a funny motto, “One man’s trash is another woman’s art career,” has gradually become a guiding principle for her. Her work invites visitors into a magpie’s nest of treasured fragments, offering a glimpse into the obsessive thrill of collecting the raw materials that shape her practice. It celebrates the seductive pull of nostalgia while quietly exposing the excesses of contemporary consumer culture.