Lousissyart

VIVANI

Dear Karen, dear Simone - two sisters make art together, run a gallery with a shop and will also be giving courses and workshops from 2025. How did this idea come about?

Lousissyart

Simone studied visual communication at the Peter Behrens School of Arts in Düsseldorf and has been working as an artist and designer since 2004. Karen studied communication design in Berlin.

We have been working in our joint design studio in Cologne since 2004, but we have always enjoyed painting, pottery, photography and engaging with artistic processes in various practical projects. So in 2020 we came up with the idea of starting our sister art project alongside the design studio and founded the art studio Lousissyart. Here we have specialised in abstract painting.
With our art project we are represented on several online art portals such as Singulart, Rise Art and Saatchi Art. In 2022 we became finalists of the Design Award Painting with our art and received special mentions at the Luxembourg Art Prize in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

VIVANI

How do you work together? Do you actually paint together or does everyone have their own work areas and collections?

Lousissyart

We influence and inspire each other - this is how our very diverse painting styles and directions are created. We don't plan our paintings in advance, but let ourselves be spontaneously inspired by intuition, moods and styles. Some paintings are created together and some are created side by side and influence each other.
Collections and series are also usually created in the process. When painting, it's great that you can just let yourself drift. We enjoy trying out different styles, colours and shapes. It's usually quite colourful, but can also be black and white at times.

VIVANI

How do you come up with new ideas together? Are there ever conflicts - especially between sisters - or do you often think along the same lines?

Karen Lehmann

We motivate and inspire each other. Simone always works straight through a picture - that's great. Her artworks are very spontaneous and extremely artistic. I really like that. I'm a bit more complicated. Simone takes good care of me because otherwise I would paint over a lot more pictures, plagued by self-doubt. She stops me from doing that.

Simone Lehmann

I admire Karen for her consistency and constant enthusiasm. She is absolutely motivating and that always gives me new and old impetus. She is also a bit tidier and more precise, which disciplines me and is good for me.

VIVANI

How would you describe your style?

Lousissyart

Expressive abstract painting with collage elements and contrasts - we particularly like the combination of subtle colours with small neon accents. Neon can also be just a single small line, or a surface or shape. In any case, there always has to be at least a small contrast or break in our work. This can also be text, graffiti or street art elements.

VIVANI

Where are your sources of inspiration and what role models do you have?

Lousissyart

Our sources of inspiration are diverse and cover various areas of art and design. We find abstract art, which is characterised by surfaces and shapes, particularly appealing. Exhibitions, museums and art fairs provide us with insights and inspiration.
However, we also take inspiration from artists on platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram. Street art and current trends that we encounter in everyday life also play a major role in our creative process. This combination of classic and modern sources of inspiration helps us to develop innovative ideas and enrich our designs.

VIVANI

Our VIVANI brand combines chocolate with art. Why do you think the two go well together?

Lousissyart

Chocolate making is just as much an art as painting. As artists, we see a deep connection between art and chocolate, because both are there to touch, inspire and indulge people. It's great how they complement each other.

Both can also awaken the senses: art and chocolate appeal to the senses - but in different yet harmonious ways. Art reaches the eyes and the heart, while chocolate gives pleasure through flavour and smell. Together they create an experience that appeals to people holistically.

We also think of creativity that can be shared... When we create art on or for chocolate, it is an invitation to others to see the world through our eyes, but also to enjoy it through their senses. Both are expressions of creativity: we bring imagination to shapes and colours, while the chocolate itself tells stories through its production, taste or presentation. We can trigger emotions, because chocolate often triggers childhood memories, happiness or a sense of security - and that's exactly what we want to achieve with art. Through this connection, the joint work is not only beautiful to look at, but also emotionally tangible.

And last but not least, it's also about gifts: both chocolate and art are often gifts. They are a luxury, a moment of joy in a hectic world. Art makes chocolate even more special because it gives it soul, while chocolate makes art more accessible - it is put on the table, shared, enjoyed by everyone and celebrated.

VIVANI

You created the painting for the packaging front of our new ‘Whole Cocoa Fruit’ chocolate bar. Why don't you tell us something about this painting?

Lousissyart

The craft unites the artist with the chocolatier; a chocolatier is also an artist. Just as we mix our colours, the chocolatier experiments with types of cocoa, textures and flavours. We both create something unique - with passion and dedication. This connection is reflected in the chocolate, which is made from 100% cocoa fruit.

For the image for the Whole Cocoa Fruit, we were inspired by the variety of colours and aromas in nature: from the turquoise blue sky of the cocoa fruit's region of origin to the varied shades of green, yellow and brown in the play of light and shadow. In VIVANI's 100% cocoa creation, the cocoa fruit in its different stages and variations is the inspiration for design and flavour.