{"title":"Self, 2026","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"what-i-was-working-toward","title":"What I Was Working Toward","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Dream, the Fractures, and the Path to a New World\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI grew up in Cologne – in a family where sports dictated absolutely everything. No one around me had anything to do with art; instead, all family members were elite athletes and worked in that field. From an early age, sports were my only identity, my compass, and my purpose in life. I tried every sport until my focus shifted entirely to volleyball.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt 16, I made it into the youth national team and moved to the sports boarding school in Frankfurt, Germany, for two years. My life was crystal clear and aligned toward a single goal: the dream of becoming a professional, making it all the way to the top, and spending every free second on the court. But already at the age of 16, I had to undergo my first knee surgery – a first minor setback on a path that was supposed to be unstoppable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter my time in Frankfurt, I moved to Berlin to continue playing at the highest level. But after just one month, the shock followed: another knee injury, another surgery, and a forced break of a year and a half. The dream I had pursued since childhood shattered overnight. I had to give up everything my life was built upon. In that time of silence, I began to paint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBetween Two Worlds\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo this day, life often feels surreal. Many of my closest friends are still professional volleyball and beach volleyball players. I still move in this sports world, hang out with pros, and feel this deep connection – while simultaneously standing out there as an artist. I am caught between these two worlds: on one hand, the longing for the old, familiar athlete's life; on the other hand, the unbridled freedom and opportunity of my new reality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Endless Stream of Ideas\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePainting became not only an outlet, but a necessity. My mind never stands still – even at night in bed, I often cannot find rest because I constantly have hundreds of ideas for new paintings in my head. I have ideas for thousands of more works. During my travels in recent years, where I was on the road almost continuously, I started capturing this flood of thoughts immediately wherever I could: on anything within reach, such as banknotes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe artwork \"What I Was Working Toward\" is the visual foundation of this entire journey. It shows the look back at sports, the pain of giving up, and simultaneously the moment when a completely new artistic calling grew out of the lost dream.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lars Stenchly","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54846326112593,"sku":null,"price":1900.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/8602\/5297\/files\/FullSizeRender_e25c0951-39a0-4e1f-b7a3-10fad648afcc.jpg?v=1789117750"},{"product_id":"quiet","title":"Quiet","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"markdown markdown-main-panel md-content enable-luminous-fast-follows enable-updated-hr-color stronger\" id=\"model-response-message-contentr_1150b0eba6c9a61e\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eQuiet (Self-Portrait)\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\"Quiet\" is my very first self-portrait on canvas. At its core, this work is about my personality and a process of self-discovery that has been unfolding for quite some time.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eShaped by my many travels and a continuous confrontation with myself, I process a deep self-reflection here along with the search for my true identity away from sports. It is an honest, raw look inward – framed in a handcrafted wooden frame. An intimate moment of pause and clarity during an eventful phase of life.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Lars Stenchly","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54846329323857,"sku":null,"price":1500.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/8602\/5297\/files\/FullSizeRender_c4a78b14-eb51-4421-8dab-79023673e6fa.jpg?v=1789055610"},{"product_id":"200-brazil","title":"200 \/ Brazil","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis artwork on a 200-euro note marks a central point on my personal journey and my identity as a half-Brazilian.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis winter, I spent four months in Brazil – the first time I stayed there for an extended period. It had been four years since the last time I was in the country. This intense time gave me the opportunity to actively search for my roots and deeply experience and understand the half of my heritage that comes from Brazil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePainting on currency originally arose from the need to instantly capture my constant ideas and thoughts while traveling. But in this portrait, the material merges with my story: money measures societal value, but for me, the true value here lies in the search for identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"200 Brazil\" is a milestone of my self-discovery and stands for the journey to find myself, far away from predefined paths.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lars Stenchly","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54846330732881,"sku":null,"price":380.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/8602\/5297\/files\/44E356E8-707D-4B1F-B05D-78E690162E21.jpg?v=1788171949"},{"product_id":"1","title":"$1","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis 1-dollar bill is more than just a piece of paper – it’s a direct keepsake from my very first trip to the United States in December 2023. It was my first time ever in the US, landing right in the middle of wintertime New York City.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis self-portrait on the US dollar bill captures that exact moment of awakening and crossing borders: the feeling of stepping into a massive, unfamiliar world driven by boundless energy and endless possibilities. New York in December 2023 \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003ewas a place of awe, fresh perspectives, and consciously stepping out of my comfort zone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\"$1 Edition\" represents this major milestone: the courage to explore new horizons, find oneself in a completely foreign environment, and permanently archive the essence of that first US adventure.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lars Stenchly","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54846333157713,"sku":null,"price":340.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0765\/8602\/5297\/files\/FullSizeRender_62f0b2cf-0596-4d4c-a48a-fd9a22815f9b.jpg?v=1789023853"}],"url":"https:\/\/lars-stenchly.com\/collections\/self-2026.oembed","provider":"Lars Stenchly","version":"1.0","type":"link"}