Migration & Displacement Series: Artwork by Josephine Florens
AS LONG AS NO ONE SEES (2023)
This work reflects the fragile strategies of adaptation that emerge in displacement. The figure exists in a space where survival depends on invisibility — on not being noticed, judged, or interrupted. It speaks to the quiet compromises migrants often make in order to remain safe, functioning, and unseen while rebuilding their lives in unfamiliar environments.
MAGNA MATER IN HER INCARNATION (2023)
This painting addresses migration through the lens of motherhood. The maternal figure embodies continuity and grounding amid rupture and relocation. Displacement here is not only geographical but generational: the body carries memory, protection, and cultural roots while navigating a new reality.
STAND TALL (2022)
Stand Tall represents the inner act of reclaiming dignity after displacement. The figure’s posture suggests balance and resolve within instability. Immigration often demands resilience without certainty; this work captures the moment when presence itself becomes an act of resistance and self-affirmation.
DON’T STOP (2022)
This piece explores movement as necessity rather than choice. The figure continues forward despite exhaustion, uncertainty, and external pressure. Displacement is portrayed as an ongoing process — stopping is not an option when home has already been left behind.
CIRCUS IS OVER (2022)
This work reflects the emotional aftermath of displacement: the collapse of illusion, performance, and forced optimism. Once the spectacle ends, the migrant confronts fatigue, disorientation, and solitude. The painting speaks to what remains after adaptation becomes unsustainable — a quiet reckoning with loss and reality.
Josephine Florens (born 1988, Odessa, Ukraine) is a professional visual artist currently living and working in Germany after relocating due to the war in Ukraine. Originally trained in law, she holds Master’s degrees in Civil and International Law; however, her lifelong commitment to visual art ultimately led her to pursue painting as her primary vocation. Since 2017, when she began formal studies at the Art-Ra School of Fine Arts, Florens has developed a distinctive artistic voice marked by technical rigor, emotional depth, and psychological sensitivity.
Working primarily in oil, with occasional use of acrylic, Florens engages a wide range of genres, including portraiture, landscape, religious subjects, still life, animals, and marine painting. She describes her approach as modern vintage — a synthesis of classical pictorial traditions and a refined contemporary sensibility. Her work is characterized by muted, time-worn palettes, symbolic undertones, and a quiet intensity that invites contemplation rather than spectacle.
Despite the profound disruptions of recent years, Florens has remained deeply committed to her artistic practice. She has actively participated in international competitions, curated exhibitions, and collaborative projects, while continuing to develop long-term painting series. Her works have been featured in international publications and juried selections, and she has also served as a juror for international art competitions, contributing her expertise to the evaluation of contemporary artistic practices.
Florens is a member of the College Art Association (CAA), USA, where she serves on the Annual Conference Committee, as well as a member of the Odessa Marine Art Union (Ukraine). Her work reflects a sustained engagement with themes of memory, human vulnerability, inner resilience, and the relationship between human nature and the natural world, positioning her as a thoughtful and distinctive voice in contemporary figurative painting.
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