My art project “La Dolce Vita in Meerbusch” was an homage to Italy's sensual way of life – realized with models, stylish stagings, and special locations in my adopted home. In collaboration with Meerbusch’s city marketing department, I created female portraits that embody pleasure, style, and femininity – set amidst cafés, trattorias, and a golf park. This project demonstrates that art can transform places and make moments unforgettable. And: La Dolce Vita is possible everywhere – if we dare to stage life like a film.
1. What “La Dolce Vita” means – and how I brought it to Meerbusch
You don't have to go to Rome to celebrate life. Sometimes a cappuccino is enough. And a moment where you feel yourself again.
A small table in the shade, the scent of freshly ground coffee, the gentle clinking of porcelain. The waitress leans over the espresso machine, her movements calm, almost meditative. A warm ray of light falls on her face – and for a moment, time holds its breath.
This is not a film set. It's Café Aroma in Meerbusch. And yet, it feels like a scene from “La Dolce Vita”: sensual, poetic, slightly ethereal.
I didn't invent this moment. I just saw it – and staged it. Because for me, the feeling of "Dolce Vita" is not a place. It is an inner state. A sense of beauty, of stillness, of the special in the everyday.
In my art project for the city of Meerbusch, I tried to make this very feeling visible. Not loud, not blatant. But through women who fill the space with their presence. And through places that begin to tell stories through art.
2. How an Italian memory became an art project for Meerbusch
It was a perfectly normal conversation between friends – and at the same time, the beginning of something special. I was sitting with Heike Reiß, who was then responsible for city marketing in Meerbusch. We talked about art, about the city, about what touches people. And at some point, we drifted off – to vacation memories, to Italy, to small moments full of pleasure.
I remember how we both smiled when the words “La Dolce Vita” fell. These three words – they suddenly hung in the air, luminous, a little dreamy. And there it was: the idea of bringing this feeling of life to Meerbusch. Not as a blatant copy of Italy. But as a genuine, loving homage to what makes life beautiful.
The idea quickly took shape: an artistic journey through the city. I wanted to showcase extraordinary women – in places you thought you knew. Cafés, restaurants, gardens, squares with soul. And to bring a new light into them: with colors, poetry, and an eye for the sensual.
“I wanted to show that even in Meerbusch, life can vibrate – full of sensuality, style, and that special lightness.”
And so it began – not with a brushstroke, but with a memory. And with the longing to make beauty visible. Not somewhere far away. But right here – on our doorstep in the city where I live.
3. Female Portraits in Special Places – My Productions in Meerbusch
I love to stage. Not in the sense of “pretending,” but in the best sense of the word: to guide, to see, to feel. Like a director. I work with light, with elegant clothing, jewelry, feminine stylings – but above all with emotion. And when all this comes together, something greater than the individual image emerges: a story.
One of these stories began at Café Aroma. There I met Undine – not an actress, not a model, but a real waitress with a reserved demeanor. Initially, she was unsure. Whether she would do it “right.” Whether she was good enough. But I immediately saw that there was something special about her – something delicate, honest, poetic. And when she realized that she didn’t have to pretend, but could simply be, the magic happened.
She became a muse – and later the inspiration for an entire series of waitresses.
It was similar with Lynn, a student I photographed at the Meerbusch Golf Park. She arrived in jeans and sneakers – and transformed herself on set into a modern femme fatale. With red lips, flowing fabrics, and an aura that almost made the natural backdrop disappear. The contrast between the vast landscape and her staged femininity was captivating.
Anna, who was also photographed at Confiserie Adams, embodied for me the true “Dolce Vita” as Fellini once portrayed it. Sensual, awake, mysterious. She reminded me of Italian acting icons – full of presence and capacity for enjoyment. And precisely because of this, she fit so perfectly into the velvety atmosphere of the patisserie.
At Trattoria Luca, I photographed Alina, a friend’s daughter. Mediterranean lightness in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia: sunlight on dark tiles, espresso in hand, a gaze straight out of a classic Italian film.
Delfina and Madita at Anthony’s Kitchen restaurant embodied two opposing facets of femininity: one strong and direct, the other soft and dreamy. Two women, two perspectives – and a scene like a still from a sensual cinematic film.
Delfina was once a Playmate – we had already collaborated on a project with Playboy. But this time, I wanted to show her in a different role.
At the Landhaus am Rhein, it was Barbara Seck, an internationally experienced model, who not only dominated the space with her posture and presence but also co-directed with me. It was an interplay of two perspectives – from within and without.
At the Alte Weinschänke, Playmate Eva-Maria revealed a surprisingly quiet, almost contemplative side. Her soft presence brought a melancholic nuance to the scene – like a last ray of sunshine in the afternoon.
All these women – whether experienced or inexperienced, shy or confident – became visible in these moments. And every place, every backdrop, every reflection of light contributed to reality becoming a cinema stage for a moment.
4. Why Art Empowers Women – and What Photography & Painting Can Achieve
An image is created in a moment. The shutter clicks – and the scene is captured. But what truly remains? What does a moment do to us when it is captured in color, light, and expression?
For me, the real magic begins only after that click. That's when women see themselves in the picture – not through their usual, often critical everyday lens, but through my eyes. Eyes that seek beauty in the individual. That capture the glow that cannot be standardized.
Many of the women who participated in “La Dolce Vita” later said: “I’ve never seen myself like this before.”
And that deeply touches me. Because that is precisely what my art is about: making visible what often lies hidden. An idea. A moment like something out of a film. The quiet radiance that emerges when a woman feels herself to be the protagonist of her own life.
In a world that is so fast-paced, where images are fleeting and gestures often seem meaningless, the moment of aesthetic enjoyment suddenly becomes precious. It's about the joy of experiencing oneself in a new, loving way.
My aim is to present women in the best possible light. To emphasize their charisma. To highlight the most beautiful in them – with style, imagination, and respect. In my pictures, they are allowed to try out new roles and transform themselves. Just like you feel when you become a screen goddess for a moment.
I don't just work with the camera. Many of these motifs later find their way into my painting. This creates a dual perspective: one through the lens – direct, atmospheric – and one through color, form, and feeling – condensed, elevated, timeless.
Both together tell not stories about perfect women. But about women who are allowed to stage themselves. Who reinvent themselves – and do so with pride.
5. How Art Transforms Places – Inspiration for Hotels, Restaurants, and Golf Parks
A room can be ever so stylishly designed – but only when it becomes a stage can it touch. Then, not just an atmosphere is created, but a feeling.
When art comes into play, the space begins to speak. It comes alive. It tells a story – without words.
What fascinated me so much about this project was precisely this interplay: places we thought we knew, yet suddenly they tell entirely new stories. Stories of femininity, pleasure, sensuality.
The golf park transformed into a stage for elegance. Trattoria Luca became the setting for an imaginary film – a woman with dark espresso in hand, telling the story of pleasure through her posture alone. Café Aroma became the backdrop for a silent drama, where every glance, every gesture wrote its own scene.
These moments linger – because they are not advertisements. Rather, they are emotionally anchored experiences. And precisely therein lies their power.
I see a great opportunity in hotels, restaurants, golf parks, and special locations: not just to gain visibility – but to remain palpable.
Artistic shoots create experiences that cannot be copied. They transform rooms into scenes of a larger film – sensual, stylish, distinctive.
If you want your spaces to be more than just beautiful – if they are to touch, inspire, and remain memorable – then let's talk about it. You can reach me at: info@ekaterina-more.com
Perhaps the next special story will emerge.
FAQ: La Dolce Vita in Meerbusch – Frequently Asked Questions about my Art Project
What is behind the art project “La Dolce Vita in Meerbusch”?
“La Dolce Vita in Meerbusch” was an art project I initiated in collaboration with the city marketing department of Meerbusch. It featured stylish female portraits staged in special locations throughout the city – from a trattoria to a golf park. The combination of photography, painting, fashion, and atmosphere made it a visual homage to the Italian way of life – right in the heart of Germany.
Can the images from the project be purchased?
The originals from this project have already been sold. However, some photographic motifs continue to serve as inspiration for individual commissioned art. If you would like a very personal work in the style of “La Dolce Vita,” please feel free to contact me.
Do you also design such art projects for hotels or restaurants?
Yes – I develop exclusive art and staging projects for special locations. Each project is individual and highly curated. In a personal conversation, we will clarify together whether we can realize a harmonious, sensual story for your location. ➝ Inquiries
What does “La Dolce Vita” mean in your art?
For me, “La Dolce Vita” is more than an Italian cliché – it is the art of consciously, sensually, and aesthetically shaping life. In my pictures, this feeling is made visible through feminine presence, elegant stylings, light, color, and atmosphere.
7. My Conclusion on the Art Project “La Dolce Vita” in Meerbusch
Finished works from my art project “La Dolce Vita” were exhibited in the Teloy-Mühle – large-format, colorful, full of life. But the pictures didn’t just hang on the wall. They filled the room with stories, with atmosphere, with that special blend of nostalgia, elegance, and modern femininity.
For me, it was far more than an exhibition. It was a celebration – for the women, for Meerbusch, for sensuality. And a moment of gratitude. For art being allowed to touch. And for encouraging women to see themselves in a new light.
La Dolce Vita is not only found in Italy.
It is an invitation to consciously enjoy one's own life. To shape it with style – with joy, with imagination, with sensuality. We are all the directors of our lives. And we can decide anew every day which scenes we want to create.
Life is our stage. And we ourselves get to play the lead role in it.
Let's fill this stage – with art, with emotion, with beauty.
