ABOUT US
We (Irina and Cora) met through a collaborative project between the HBK Saar and the KH Berlin, and soon thereafter realised that there are plenty of similarities in our goals and lines of work.
As art educators, we often encounter students who, in spite of being very talented, feel rather anxious and unconfident when creating.
In such a fast-paced reality, it is not unusual to lose the capacity for subtle amusement and the lust to experiment. It's hard to find the time to get creative and, consequently, we become result-oriented when we do, and often forget to simply enjoy the process.
We think the world would be a better place if more people would embrace their creative instincts, and do so without blocks and anxiety taking over.
That’s why we joined forces and grounded card´o`thek, with the goal of awakening, tickling, and triggering your creativity in all possible ways.
As artists and human beings:
We share the belief in the power of small moments, and in finding creative bliss in the mundane.
We merge artistic expression with anthropology, philosophy, and pedagogics.
We’re driven by a stubborn thirst to stay curious about the human condition.
We find great solace and inspiration in nature and the active work with the kind-hearted people.
We like the slow-paced (in life, in love, in art, in food...) better.
IRINA VALKOVA
Irina Valkova, born in Kemerovo (Russia) in 1982, lives and works in Bielefeld (Germany).
She studied at Art Center College of Design (Los Angeles, CA), Smolny College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Saint-Petersburg), majoring in Fine Art Media and System Theory, and received her Bachelor and Master Degrees in Fine Arts from Weissensee School of Art (Berlin, Germany) in 2012-2013.
Irina Valkova presented her work at solo exhibitions in Hamburg, Bielefeld and Helsinki (Finland), as well as at the numerous group exhibitions in Germany, Russia, Finland, Austria, and Japan.
Her work has been supported by the Ministry of Culture and Science of Northern Rhine-Westphalia, Mart Stam Foundation (Berlin, Germany) and Alfred Toepfer Foundation (Hamburg, Germany).
Since 2020, Irina Valkova is a member of the Steering Committee (Vorstand) of the East Westphalen-Lippe Chapter of the Federal Union of Visual Artists (BBK-OWL).
CORA MARIN
Cora Marin, born in Vic (Barcelona) in 1991 is a multidisciplinary visual artist and researcher based between Berlin, Barcelona, and Athens.
She holds a Fine Arts Diplom and Meisterschulerin Degree from the Kunsthochschule Weißensee Berlin (coursed under Nader Ahriman's mentorship). She also has a background in Philosophy and Comparative Literature, which is present in the constant mergence of ‘the seen’, ‘the thought’, and ‘the written’ in her work, and explains her literary/conceptual contributions and collaborations with several independent publications.
She is a self-published author and internationally-exhibited artist working on a wide range of media, although most known for her collages and socio-political and satirical subject-matters.
Outside of her own artistic practice, Cora works as an art educator, director, and activist in cooperation with several cultural institutions and art galleries throughout Europe.