With a journey that spans continents and touches hearts, Ursula is a bridge between
geographies and sensibilities. From Switzerland to Brazil, from India to Japan, this artist
has crafted a unique language rooted in contrasts and delicacy. Over the years, she’s
woven together Eastern philosophy, Western thought, and an almost shamanic intuition
of art as a bridge between worlds. And when she speaks of the Amazon, her voice shifts
—softening into reverence.
So how does an artist so attuned to the rhythms of the world connect to the Amazon?
For Ursula, the forest isn’t just a place—it’s a living force, a vibrant palette, a state of
being. The tones that draw her in—rich black soil, dry branch brown, ancestral blood red,
filtered sunlight yellow, and the lush emerald green of the canopy—aren’t just colors.
They’re living memories. “These hues evoke not just strength and vitality, but also the
simplicity and depth of the earth,” she says. And that’s exactly what her work expresses:
a dance between the simple and the profound, the light and the vital.
In the paintings and installations she creates under the name Biko, Ursula translates
both internal and external landscapes with gestures that resemble emotional maps. Her
lines and visual compositions carry the flow of Amazonian rivers and the meditative
precision of Ikebana—the Japanese flower-arranging tradition in which she has been a
master for decades. In her installations—presented in São Paulo, Brasília, India, and
Switzerland—she works with dried leaves, bamboo, and natural materials to craft spaces
that invite stillness, reflection, and environmental awareness.
Her art is more than aesthetic—it’s ethical. “Every installation plants a seed of hope and
change,” she says. For Ursula, art is a tool for movement, a way to reflect and act.
Sustainability isn’t some abstract concept—it’s a promise to future generations. That’s
why her artistic practice is grounded in listening to communities, honoring traditional
wisdom, and making sincere efforts to build dialogue between cultures and ecosystems.
The Forest Also Breathes
in Silence
Ursula Altenbach