Laya Mila Böker (b. 1999, Hamburg) is a painter whose works are created in the tension between figurative and abstract storytelling. In her paintings, she mourns a feeling that seems lost: a closeness to nature, whose beauty and mysticism seem increasingly distant. Out of this longing, beings emerge: animals, figures, apparitions that evoke each other in response to an inner search for connection. Her painting combines soft blurring with precise colour accents, following intuition and rhythm, texts and music. In this way, Laya attempts to capture the balance between hard and soft, real and irreal. She recently completed her BA in painting and has already exhibited in group and solo exhibitions in Germany.