Be present in what moves you

As an artist, she decorates walls and panels with her magical frescoes, including in the Traube boutique hotel. As a painting therapist, se supports patients in their search for balance and inner harmony. A visit to Heloisa Ackermann's studio on Rathhausgasse i Bern.

by Doris Büchel

«Welcome to paradise,»she says when I visit her on a sunny August day. In fact, the sun, which is currently flooding the room through the open windows, isn’t the only one that’s shining – Heloisa Ackermann, who is already waiting for me at the door, is too. I came to Bern to get to know the person behind the artistic frescoes on the walls of the Traube boutique hotel. Who is Heloisa Ackermann? What drives her? Why did she leave her career in her hometown of São Paulo behind to start anew in Bern? How did she get from art to art therapy? Questions upon questions.

We’ve barely finished our warm greeting before we dive right into the thick of the conversation. This is certainly down to Heloisa’s open and enthusiastic nature. Even her inspiring studio stimulates the senses at first glance. There is so much to discover: countless brushes and paint pots in stunning shades and styles, pencil drawings, colourful sketches, framed pictures in all shapes and sizes, a huge canvas full of paint blobs, and fresh flowers on the table. Despite the creative mishmash, everything appears organised, neatly arranged, fresh and bright. I’m amazed, I ask questions – and Heloisa gushes. «Sorry,» she says cheerfully, «I’m Brazilian and pretty passionate.» We both laugh.

Well, you could briefly summarise our three-hour-long meeting and say that her path was pretty straight and linear. After all, she has always been determined and knew even as a child that she wanted to become an artist – which she became and still is today. However, that would far be too short-sighted and wouldn’t even begin to do justice to the complex woman she has become.

It went like this: After studying industrial design with a focus on visual communication at the School of Fine Arts in São Paulo, Heloisa – 20 years old at the time – teamed up with two other artists. Together, the trio of friends successfully ran a studio with 23 employees for 16 years. They worked for renowned companies and exclusive clients, decorated walls with elaborate frescoes and designed furniture. During this time, Heloisa also trained as an art therapist. «On the one hand, because I have always been interested in psychology,» she explains to me, «on the other hand, because painting frescoes is something so personal.» What does she mean by that? «When I design a wall in your house, I’m creating something for you within your own four walls. It’s a very intimate process. So it’s not just about the technique, but above all about sensing people’s feelings and empathising with them.»

Heloisa gets up, grabs a thick folder from a cupboard and places it between us, on the table at which we now sit. The gleam in her eyes as she shows me old newspaper clippings, photos and flyers reveals how formative this time was for the young woman of the past and remains so for the artist she has become. «My artistic work wouldn’t be the same if I couldn’t draw on this rich pool of influences and positive life experiences from my time in São Paulo. This sense of life is still an important source of inspiration for me.»

Business was good and she could have stayed in her studio in the centre of São Paulo in her homeland Brazil forever. Could have – if she hadn’t met her future husband, a charming Swiss architect. He spoke perfect Portuguese and decided to move to Brazil, where he worked with renowned architectural firms, for her sake. After the birth of their second child, they decided to make Switzerland their main residence. The family moved to Bern in 2005. Heloisa Ackermann set art aside for a while as she wanted to fully dedicate herself to her family. She only gradually started painting again. «I would hold a wooden spoon or a baby with one hand, and paint with the other,» she says and laughs. At first, she painted mainly for herself and hung the pictures up at home. Every now and then, she was able to sell one. Demand began to increase. Step by step, she regained her footing as an artist – which was followed by several gallery and private exhibitions.

«My artistic work wouldn’t be the same if I couldn’t draw on this rich pool of influences and positive life experiences from my time in São Paulo. This sense of life is still an important source of inspiration for me.»

In 2009, she received her first official commission for a large fresco on the wall of an exclusive hotel. Heloisa Ackermann: «At first, I wanted to turn them down. In Brazil, I had been a professional with a lot of self-confidence. In Switzerland, however, everything was different – the materials, the temperatures, the humidity.» She also hadn’t painted walls professionally for a few years. Fortunately, the clients remained persistent and gave her plenty of freedom, so she took up the challenge – and things worked out perfectly. This sense of achievement gave her courage. The first order was then followed by the next, and then the next, and the next.

How does she do it? How does she work? First, she gets to know the people behind the project. She explores the house, the room, the wall. Then she sits down at the table here in the studio and starts designing. «The ideas come to me as I’m drawing,» she says, «the sketches unfold intuitively on paper, while my thoughts wander to the people for whom I’m creating the work.» Most of the time, clients end up choosing not one suggestion, but rather all two, three or four. And there it is again, the hearty laughter.

As the subject, she often chooses organic shapes and natural colours that she borrows from nature – flowers, trees, clouds and sometimes animals. Her pieces are large, graceful and sensuous. She paints directly on walls, canvases and panels, using different textures, colours, materials and techniques. Each piece is unique – no two paintings are the same. Her work can be found in private residences, hotels, restaurants and reception rooms of medical practices and clinics. Many pieces are featured in renowned architecture and interior design magazines.

Since 2018, Heloisa Ackermann has also been working as a painting therapist in her studio. The separation from her ex-husband and his passing shortly after plunged her into a serious crisis. Through pure coincidence, the box with old documents from her art therapy studies ended up in her hands once again. With a great sense of will and commitment, she then completed a course in conventional medicine, which enabled her to offer this special form of art therapy professionally. Who is the therapy suitable for? Painting helps people view stressful or challenging matters from a new perspective. It helps them cope with fear, anger and sadness as well as sleep disorders, stress and depression. This type of painting also helped her personally during the difficult period after she had been unable to be productive or creative for several months. Heloisa pauses for a moment, then says into the silence: «I know this isn’t a love story, but none of this could have happened if I hadn’t quite unexpectedly met my current partner. Martin provides me with incredible support. He’s involved in every aspect … every corner of this studio is also a part of him. He is a true companion, a ray of sunshine.»

As she speaks, she leafs further through her folder to the section where she keeps the numerous thank you letters and cards from happy clients and patients. She reads a few lines from these, visibly touched. Then she says: «These letters and all the positive feedback are my nourishment. When a guest at the Traube tells me that my frescoes are like a friendly hug, or when someone who is very sick thanks me with a handwritten letter after a therapy session, that’s when I know that I am able to touch people with my talent. That’s priceless for me.»

Heloisa has a wealth of ideas for the future. The key thing is to remain flexible in every moment. «First I was an entrepreneur, then an entrepreneur and a mother, then just a mother, and now I’m a mother and an entrepreneur.» She wants to grow old, paint and one day tell her children about a good life full of success stories. «That’s why I have to make sure that I can keep all these different elements in balance.»

We wish her every success in this.

Tabula Rasa

Why is your job the best job? Because it moves and restores me. What drives you? Nature. Beauty. The harmony of shapes and colours. Contact and encounters with people. What do you really put a lot of time into? My family. Learning and reading. What would you do if you were given a week of free time? Attend a meditation retreat. Where or for whom would you like to paint a fresco? In a public place, for lots of people. What is a pleasure for you? The little moments ... The smiles of my children, completing a piece, touching the hearts of others. Which film, song, book, piece of art or building inspires you?

Film: Saimdang, Memoir of Colors. Song: Anything by Maria Bethânia. Book: Vivir en el alma by Joan Garriga. Piece of art: Sebastião Salgado’s latest photo exhibition «Amazonas». Building: Projects by Marcio Kogan. Do you read poetry? Yes, a lot and all the time. Why? Because it’s an art form that manages to transport me to other places. Because it makes me discover new colours and scents ... I just love it. Who would you like to share a meal with at the Traube? My family, my children Nicola and Chloé, and my partner Martin. What would you ask them? Have you seen the beautiful walls here? They’re like a lovely hug! And the loving and attentive details ... such devotion (laughs).