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NONOS — Franziska and Mercedes Welte

Long before their sculptures appeared at international art fairs and exhibitions, Franziska and Mercedes Welte were working late into the night in a small attic studio in Austria. What began as a shared creative instinct between two sisters gradually evolved into NONOS — a distinctive artistic collaboration that today moves between sculpture, painting and spatial installation.

In a historic studio overlooking Lake Constance in Austria, sisters Franziska and Mercedes Welte develop artworks that move between sculpture, painting and spatial experience. Working together under the name NONOS, the artists have created a distinctive visual language that transforms form and color into an expression of movement, balance and presence.

Their collaboration is built on a rare artistic dialogue. Franziska Welte shapes the sculptural structures, translating intuitive observations of movement into flowing forms. Mercedes Welte develops the chromatic language of the works, layering pigments and surfaces to create depth, luminosity and atmosphere. Together they form a unified artistic voice in which form and color evolve simultaneously.

Nature plays a central role in their work. Landscapes, oceans, geological formations and shifting light become sources of inspiration that are translated into organic silhouettes and vibrant color fields. Their works often appear suspended between gravity and lightness, creating a sense of motion and quiet energy.

Although widely recognized for their elegant sculptural figures, the practice of NONOS extends far beyond sculpture. Their oeuvre includes large-scale wall reliefs, abstract paintings, sculptural vessels and spatial installations, often conceived in dialogue with architecture and interior spaces.

The artists work with materials such as carbon fiber, fiberglass, canvas, pigments and bronze, combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary techniques. Each piece emerges through an intensive process in which material, form and color gradually merge into a single artistic statement.

Over the past two decades, the work of NONOS has gained international recognition. Their artworks have been presented at major exhibitions and art fairs including the Biennale Arte di Venezia, Art Miami during Art Basel Miami Week, and galleries in London, New York, Zurich and Mallorca. Their works are held in private collections and institutions such as the Museum Stift Klosterneuburg.

Today, NONOS are known for creating artworks that exist between disciplines — works that transform color and form into a language of movement, harmony and living presence.