In September, Bumble embarked on a search for one aspiring woman artist, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: the chance to showcase their work for the world to see in one of Berlin’s most iconic spaces.

We asked entrants how they’d define women’s empowerment in mural form. Our aim was for the work be inclusive, brave, and confident. Our hope was for this artist to shed light on individual stories, debunk gender-based stereotypes, and help provoke thought and inspiration in passers-by.

Out of hundreds of excellent entries, we were blown away by the strength and beauty of one piece of work above all: that of Anna Rupprecht, the winner of this Access All Arts competition. Bumble caught up with Anna to talk her about her journey and her winning artwork.

Hi, Anna! Tell us about yourself.
I’m a 25-year-old freelance illustrator and graphic designer based in Berlin. I love all kinds of patterns, Japanese illustrations, coffee, dogs, visiting pop art exhibitions and eating spaghetti.

I started working as a freelancer nearly six years ago. My work often deals with the lives of millennials and showcases the fears and issues they have in a digital society. This includes feminist topics, equality, and being a woman in the creative industry.

It’s important to me to give my illustrations a meaning, which can be done from a socio-critical or humorous viewpoint.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
When I was a little girl I would often spend my afternoons and evenings drawing in the living room with my mother who also has artistic and creative talent. This was what motivated me to make art.

I was a very imaginative kid and would build my own little worlds and ask a lot of questions about life and death. During school, I loved to attend art classes because it was the only thing I was really good at. This gave me a lot of self-esteem in my teenage years and made me more and more sure that I wanted to embark on a creative career.

I increasingly started to believe in myself but it wasn't until I got my first job, and with the massive support of my friends, that I began to realise that I had a realistic chance to make my passion a career.

What does empowerment mean to you?
For me, empowerment means getting the opportunity to bring a group of people together and support one another. It is essential to me, especially nowadays, to empower each other to send out a message or to have a public opinion and fight injustice in our society.

It’s a movement we should all take part in and there should not be any barriers for us as women. Empowerment is also a kind of self-love: it’s making yourself a priority whilst also spreading this feeling to the world.

Every one of us can empower others in their very own way through their passions, whether that's about making art, writing, teaching or anything else. The most important thing is to keep moving, to improve oneself. Don’t belittle yourself. Everyone has a voice and should be heard.

Tell us about your winning work of art.
I wanted to create something new for the Access All Arts competition. My aim was to show variations of strong, young, and independent women working around and amongst a lot of moving elements.

The girl sitting on the statue with a hammer and chisel in her hand is the central point of the mural, and also embodies the main message of my interpretation of women’s empowerment. I also tried to work with many smaller details contributing to the deeper meaning. The girl on the right balancing a pencil on her nose represents the still-huge gender pay gap in the creative industry.

The women in the upper right with the book laid open stands for all the brilliant women in science and their revolutionary discoveries in the past. The cut barrier tape stands for the need to break boundaries and overcome our obstacles. We need to dissolve stereotypes and stay our best selves.

I drew the different women separately at first, and then placed them together to create this composition. I wanted to overload the illustration so the viewer has to take a second to look and capture everything and try and really understand its meaning. I worked with strong colours and patterns — my trademark — and drew it digitally on my graphics tablet.

What’s your biggest dream for your career?
My biggest dream for my future career is to be constantly able to make a living out of my art! I also want to leave something on this earth which has a meaning and inspires others to go their own way. Even if there is just one person who is motivated by my work and what I do, it would make me incredibly happy.

Anna’s mural will be displayed in Adelbertstr. 9, 10999 Berlin Kreuzberg until 30th November.

Meet Our Access All Arts Winner and Check Out Her Berlin Mural