In a whimsical garden where time bends and reality blurs, Why, a curious cat with eyes into another world, embarks on a surreal journey to find Tomorrow—only to discover that some mysteries are meant to be glimpsed, not caught.

This book is my diploma thesis at the Vienna Art School. It is an artistic exploration of personal loss, born from the grief over the death of my cat, Sekhmet. From this emotional starting point, I developed a hybrid visual narrative that lies somewhere between comic, picture book, and art object. The creative process was strongly guided by the question of how pain can be transformed into something beautiful and meaningful.

Both in content and form, the work brings together various influences: literarily inspired by Samuel Beckett, Angela Carter, and Michael Ende; visually shaped by artists such as Dave McKean, Hannah Höch, and Wangechi Mutu. These influences are reflected in the narrative structure as well as in the experimental choice of materials—such as collages, mixed-media elements, pop-up and interactive book mechanisms. The project follows a deliberately tactile, analog concept with a lot of attention to detail.

The story of the cat Why is conceived as a poetic-surreal daily routine that explores the interplay of reality, dream, and time.

The work was created as a unique piece and is presented on a scratching post—a tribute to the deceased cat and at the same time a performative gesture that stages the book as an art object. Here are some previews:

The project was presented at this year’s diploma exhibition of the students of the Kunst Schule Wien at the SOHO Studios in Vienna, Liebknechtgasse 30. More Info: https://diplome.kunstschule.wien/