Melanie Gandyra is a freelance illustrator and artist from Hamburg, Germany based in Innsbruck, Austria. She completed her bachelor‘s and master‘s degrees in illustration at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg. The main focus of her work is editorial, infographic and informative illustration.

Her drawing always starts on paper where she explores the shades, shapes and textures with colored pencils. These drawings are often fragmented, then digitized, composed and finally fused back together, or remain analog. Expressive color worlds abduct into symmetrical, often surreal superstructures that metaphorically communicate and inform.

As the inner compass of her art, she have made it her mission to draw attention to the environment, changing climate and its consequences. It‘s hard to protect what you don‘t understand. However, if we do not hurry to understand, there will be nothing left worth protecting.

Her work is about finding new solutions to the environmental state of our planet. Creative problem-solving can initiate an awareness that can go beyond simply understanding scientific facts and hopefully allow us to overcome our current state of shock and thereby initiate actions to protect nature.



Contact

Studio Parterre 6
Maximilianstraße 6
6020 Innsbruck

info@melaniegandyra.com

︎ Instagram     ︎ Behance

Impressum


Represented by wildfoxrunning, Germany 

Board of directors Weis raum Designforum, Innsbruck, Austria


Member of:
– Illustratoren Organisation, Germany
– VG Bildkunst, Germany
– Bildrecht, Austria


 

Awards

2023    World Illustration Award Shortlist
2022    Vila Real Biodiversity Contest selected
2022    Japan Illustrators Association Bronze
2022    World Illustration Award Shortlist
2021    Global Illustration Award Honorary Mention
2021    Global Illustration Award Gold
2020    Creative Quarterly 58 Runner Up
2019    3x3 Award Honorable Mention
2019    Ginco Comic Award Shortlist
2019    World Illustration Award Shortlist
2018    Global Illustration Award Gold
2017    GoSee Award Shortlist


Artist in residence

2024    Gravity & Growth,
Alpine Garden Bad Aussee, Austria

2022    Sasso Residency,
Ticino, Switzerland


Exhibitions

2023    Group exhibition „Wissenschaft trifft Kunst“, Comicfestival ,Hamburg, Germany

2023    Group exhibition „Vibrate Dimension“, Openspace, Innsbruck, Austria

2023    Solo exhibition „Seeded Smolder“, Mount Baldy Visitor Center, California, USA

2023    Solo exhibition „Rooted Schemata“, Botanischer Garten Innsbruck, Austria

2022    Group exhibition of Scientific and Nature Drawing, Teatro de Vila Real, Vila Real, Portugal

2022    Group exhibition „Alpennordseitig“, Openspace, Innsbruck, Austria

2020    Group exhibition  Global Illustration Award Exhibition, Illusalon Headquarter, Peking, China

2019    Group exhibition  World Illustration Award Exhibition, Somerset House, London, UK

2018    Group exhibition  Tapir undKlotz Kalender Enfants Art Space, Hamburg, Germany

2017    Group exhibition  ODRADEK #2, Galerie 21 Vorwerkstift, Hamburg, Germany

2016    Group exhibition  ODRADEK #1, Galerie Speckstraße, Hamburg, Germany

2015    Group exhibition „Poetic Science“ Alliance Française de Bologne, Bologna, Italy

2014    Group exhibition „Geld, Ruhm & Groupies“, Comicfestival , Hamburg, Germany

2014    Group exhibition „Greyscale“ Oberhafengalerie, Hamburg, Germany

2013    Group exhibition „In eigener Sache“ Raum rechts links, Hamburg, Germany


Fundings

2020    Cafe Royal Kulturstiftung Hamburg for the book project Low Bow - von Drama und Klima

2022    VG Bildkunst Germany for the collective work with Edition_o

2022    stadt_potenziale Innsbruck Austria for the book project“ Von Nutz und Zier“

2022    Bundeskanzleramt, Land Tirol and City of Innsbruck, Austria for the Underbridge Festival

2023    Bundeskanzleramt, Land Tirol and City of Innsbruck, Austria for the Underbridge Festival


Publications

2023    „What Gardeners Grow“,
Bloom Publishing, Quarto Publishing, Frances Lincoln, UK

2019    „The Friendsgiving Handbook“,
Chronicle Books San Francisco, USA 

2018    „Bookzine 5 „Die Schwarze Flotte“,
Corrective, Germany


Selected clients

72 + Sunny
Arte Magazine
Bergwelten Magazin
Bloom Magazine
Breathe Magazine
Chronicle Books San Francisco
Die Zeit
Dogs Magazine
Donna
Eltern Magazine
Frances Lincoln
Freundin Magazine
Harvest Moon
Heimat tbwa
Hornbach
Hygge Magazine
Google
Greenpeace Magazine
Greenpeace Switzerland
Krautreporter
Millerntor Gallery
Organic Life Magazine
Quarto Publishing
Patagonia Europe
Schauspielhaus Hamburg
Schweizer Familie
Teen Breathe Magazine
Territory
Urban Outfitters
Viva con Agua
Wienerin
Wirtschaftswoche


Teaching

WS21/22  
Lecturer for informative illustration, University of Applied Science Hamburg, Germany

November 2021   
„Grafikids“ workshop, Wei sraum Designforum, Innsbruck, Austria

SS22   
Lecturer for informative illustration, University of Applied Science Hamburg , Germany

Summer 2022    
„Kinder Uni“, children workshop University of Innsbruck, Austria

Dezember 2022   
„Genial Überdimensional“ children workshop, Bilding, Innsbruck, Austria

Summer 2023    
„Kinder Uni“, children workshops University of Innsbruck, Austria