Born in Heidelberg (Germany), Charlie Casanova did not grow up in an artistically inclined family. Nevertheless, an initial tendency towards the arts led to studying piano and violin from an early age. The classical genre aside, an appreciation for musical theatre broadened the spectrum and formed an interest towards jazz, cabaret and performance arts. Next to instrumental practice, an affinity for illustration and photography started emerging – integral parts of developing a sense for visuality. The habit of carrying around a notebook or an analog compact camera was and remains to be a way of memory conservation. Humour and nostalgia are integral parts to pursuing artistic tendency.

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Due to Charlie's asian background the first school year was spent in Shanghai. Due to her personal Anglophilic disposition the last years of school were spent in the UK. Since then, she has been living in Berlin.

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From 2017, a close contact to the theatre scene started developing. To capture the moment and return to emotionality illustration became a way to conserve each watched performance. During shows at the Gorki, the Berliner Ensemble and the Schaubühne, as well as all around the country, notebooks, leporellos and postcards represent a growing freedom of expression and visual development, furthermore a growing distance to originally perfectionistic approaches. Moving towards oil painting enhance the sensibility for color and different materials.

 

Growing into the theatre scene of Berlin led to several collaborations, as well as working with German director Herbert Fritsch. Through his encouragement, Charlie started exploring the possibilities of shooting film and acting. The Fritsch aesthetic has had a strong and liberating impact on her work.