Celestial Spheres

The series of painted celestial spheres originates from contemporary astronomical research on exoplanets and the ongoing search for worlds beyond our solar system. As a child, Anne Wölk was introduced to simulated night skies and detailed visualizations of gas giants such as Saturn and Jupiter at the planetarium in her hometown of Jena. These early encounters with astronomical imagery continue to inform her artistic imagination.

Wölk’s sky landscapes are realized as three-dimensional paintings on spheres of varying sizes, suspended freely in space. Executed slowly and with meticulous precision, the works are painted in acrylic on styrofoam. Drawing on astrophotographs from space telescopes, the spheres present fictional and poetic interpretations of possible extraterrestrial worlds. They evoke a contemporary form of romanticism, echoing the 19th-century fascination with the sublime and the unknown, while reflecting on future colonies on distant planets and the enduring question of life beyond Earth.

The series is ongoing and will be expanded through further spheres currently in progress in the artist’s studio.