Lea Terletzki
where myth meets melancholy & light
I fell in love with human eyes first.
The way they hold everything a person is trying not to say.
That's what pulled me toward figuration — through Hellenistic sculpture, through Caravaggio's dramatic shadows, into the full impossible vocabulary of the human body. Nothing else twists and expresses and betrays itself quite the same way.I paint figures because I have something specific to say. When I only need to clear my mind — when it's just feeling with nowhere to go — it becomes abstract. But when there's a message that needs a body to carry it, I reach for the figure.My work sits against a trend I find genuinely troubling.
The bright, decorative, emotionally uncomplicated art that's everywhere right now — I think it's feeding something dangerous. A numbing. An invitation to feel less, interpret freely, commit to nothing.
Art used to unsettle. It used to criticize and dramatize and hold a mirror to what society would rather not see.
We know entire civilizations through what they painted — the scenes, the bodies, the tensions frozen in pigment.
What will future generations know about us from rooms full of cheerful abstraction?My paintings make people want to write poems. Sometimes they make people look away because they can't hold what's unraveling.
I think that's because the figures already know something the viewer is still working out about themselves. Or chose to bury for comfort.I make art because if I don't, I combust.
If that's not for you. No hard feelings.
If it is. Welcome. Pull up a chair.
Bio
Lea Terletzki is a contemporary artist whose work fuses mythic symbolism with modern storytelling. Known for expressive, layered compositions and a signature use of gold and geometric framing, Lea explores themes of transformation, identity, and the interplay between light and shadow.Based in Potsdam, Lea shares not only their art but also their personal journey and creative lifestyle with a growing audience on Instagram. Their feed is a window into the artist’s world — studio rituals, city wanderings, memories and the everyday inspirations that fuel their practice.2025 Lea worked at Galerie Grolman in Berlin, marking a new chapter in their engagement with the art scene.
Whether through intimate portraits or mythic tableaux, Lea invites viewers to step into a world where ancient stories and contemporary life intertwine.
CV
Lea Henke
Born 2002 in Königs Wusterhausen, Germany
Lives and works in Potsdam, GermanyEducation:
2018—2020 Medienschule Babelsberg in Potsdam, Germany
2021—2022 Medienschule Babelsberg in Potsdam, Germany
2025—2026 Galery Assistant at Galerie Grolman in Berlin, Germany
Contact:
E-Mail
[email protected]
©2026 Lea Henke
All artworks are copyrighted and may not be used, reproduced or modified without permission. Use of my artworks for AI training or datasets is strictly prohibited.