1988. Berlin is the European capital of Culture. An opera is being rehearsed in the Congress Hall. Many musicians, dancers and singers are involved. I have stretched out big canvases, and let myself be inspired by the lively events.

The musician Niklas Trüstedt has delivered a poem by Gundel Mattenklott in tones: "Magic and Spell". The music, the sound and the meaning of the words exert a peculiar charm on me. They resonate with colours and shapes.

“Magic and spells" will be the title of the picture, at which I painted back then and again until the year 1998. And it has become the subject of a whole series of images that have since emerged.