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about
Alina Winter (*2002) is a visual artist based in Kassel, Germany. She studies fine arts at Kunsthochschule Kassel (Kassel, Germany). She is currently spending one year studying contemporary arts practices at Universidad Nacional de San Martín (Buenos Aires, Argentina), where she is also artist-in-residence at TERCER ESPACIO.
works
Bocas de mujeres comiendo (mouths of women eating)
2026
Video (04:21 min)
Right-wing conservative politics is gaining more and more power worldwide. This brings forth changes in social norms. For example, in the late 2010s and early 2020s, the so-called body positivity movement – which advocated the acceptance of all body types and the removal of taboos surrounding them – was very much in vogue, whereas it now receives hardly any attention. Instead, videos in line with the ‘skinnytok’ trend are gaining popularity on social media; these are short clips, mainly uploaded by young women, in which they showcase their extremely thin bodies. Flat stomachs, sinewy arms and protruding bones are the ideal. These are often accompanied by accounts of what they have eaten in a day to reduce their weight to this minimum. This is not a new phenomenon; in 2009, supermodel Kate Moss described her eating habits at the time with the words ‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’. Bocas de mujeres comiendo (mouths of women eating) attempts to take a first step towards countering this trend by showing young women eating. Without any instructions on how they should behave, they chat and have lunch together. What at first appears to be a simple everyday activity becomes, depending on the context, an act of resistance and an act of community.
filmstills and exhibition view during Rundgang Kunsthochschule Kassel
König der Straße (king of the street)
2025
Zeichnungen (Ölkreide auf Stoff), circa 6x2m
The exhibition Treppen aus Sand (stairs made of sand) was the result of a three-semester research project on the topic of classism. For my work König der Straße (king of the street), I explored the profession of a long-distance lorry driver. For me, this is also a personal piece, as my father works in this job and I wanted to question not only society’s perceptions but also my own prejudices. Furthermore, I worked part-time at a haulage company, so I had a lot of contact with lorry drivers. In conversations, it became clear that for many of them this was not a choice made out of a lack of alternatives, but rather their dream job – they told me about the sense of freedom and the opportunity to see places they would otherwise never be able to visit. Nevertheless, this occupational group generally does not enjoy a good reputation, is subject to many prejudices, and is predominantly made up of working-class men with a low level of education. What is often overlooked is that these individuals are frequently only at home at weekends, or even call their vehicle home for several weeks at a time, thereby enabling the rest of society to enjoy precisely the everyday comforts they themselves do without. Long-distance lorry drivers are an indispensable part of the supply chains that keep all businesses running and, in turn, keep us supplied. Their work takes place mainly at night and far removed from our everyday lives, so we rarely come into contact with them. König der Straße is intended as an expression of appreciation and to confront the audience at an art exhibition – who would otherwise probably not be in close contact with lorry drivers – with their presence and visibility.
exhibition view during Museumsnacht Kassel at uk14 - Fotos by Roman Dubanowski
exhibition view during group exhibition Treppen aus Sand at Ausstellungshalle Kassel
Resisting one’s own well-being
2025
Acrylics, oil sticks and pastels on wall, 2x4m
Resisting one’s own well-being explores the constant conflict between the desire for change and the reluctance to take active steps towards that change. In conversations with friends, I have realised that many people are familiar with this inner conflict; they remain in an unpleasant, painful situation even though they know what they need to do to escape it. Instead, they wait for the feelings to disappear on their own, acting passively and losing their sense of self-efficacy. This is also what the pose of the drawn figure is intended to represent. By painting it in a large scale directly onto the wall, the feeling takes up its space in the room and to a certain extent engulfs the audience. At the same time this means that the work is temporary and will no longer be there at a certain point in time - just like the feeling itself.
Rafrüti
2026
Watercolour comic adaption, 5 pages, published in anthology Meteorite Falls
During a seminar in the comics class, we worked together on an adaptation of Regine Petersen’s work A Brief History of Meteorite Falls. My contribution was the chapter ‘Rafrüti’, excerpts of which can be seen here. I painted each page by hand with watercolours, before digitalising. The text is also handwritten.
The joint work, published by Rotopol, can be purchased here.
Pferde am Wasser (horses at the water)
2026
Comic, digital, 4 pages
Horses are regarded not only as symbols of strength and grace, but also of freedom. But how free do these animals really feel, having carried around their owners whilst strapped down with leather bridles, a few hours’ exercise in a fenced-off patch of pasture being the most autonomous part of their day? In the comic Pferde am Wasser, the narrator asks precisely these questions and invites the reader to share in their daydreams.
Zeichnen nach Gefühl (drawing by feeling)
since 2024
workshop, approx. 2,5 hours, between 5-10 participants, multiple editions
As children, we all draw without giving much thought to what exactly or why. It is only as we get older that we start to judge our work; we often learn that a good drawing is one that is as realistic as possible. Our creativity is graded at school and categorised as good or bad. When do we stop drawing? In what situations do people still find the inspiration to create, what emotions does this form of expression bring up, and to what extent must we always judge the result?
Based on these questions, I led a first workshop in 2024, which took place during the yearly exhibition at Kunsthochschule Kassel. It was open to all visitors, no matter if they had previous knowledge or were involved in the art scene or not.
After a brief introduction, I guided the participants through various exercises aimed at helping them let go of pressure and the need to judge. They drew objects they could feel with their hands whilst they had their eyes closed, or sketched each others portrait without looking at the paper.
The results were later compiled in a risography zine. The second edition in the following year had the subtitle „asphalt fusion“, as it was accompanying our exhibition based on classism for which I contributed König der Straße. We walked along the busy Frankfurter Straße in Kassel, a 4- to 6-way street separating the arts university and the park beyond it from the rest of the neighbourhood. Amongst exercises from the first workshop, the participants also were motivated to capture sounds, smells, and movement.
Zeichnen nach Gefühl (drawing by feeling)
2024
Series of drawings, chalk on canvas, various sizes
In line with workshop of the same name, I have also been exploring the question of how my drawing style changes when I focus solely on my subject whilst drawing, rather than on the image itself. A different relationship emerges, as it is no longer the result that matters, but the moment in which the viewed is perceived.
Without title (horse)
2023
Acrylics and oil sticks on fabric, 3x5m
This work was one of my first ones after starting my studies. I wanted to try out a new format, for which I sewed together multiple pieces of light-weight fabric. This newly created canvas was then nailed onto a wooden bar and hung from the ceiling in the hallway, making it not only a painting, but also an object that changed the viewers experience of the room by having to navigate around it. The motif of the horse was chosen based on personal associations on girlhood and growing up. This was accompanied by childlike drawings of flowers and unidentified creatures along the bottom of the canvas.
contact
alina.winter02(at)gmail.com
sporadically posting and reachable on instagram: @alintawintadont hesitate to say hi! :^)