Alexandra Hasenpflug is a Winnipeg-based painter who uses her gift of ‘Synesthesia’ – a term coined for those who have two senses joined in the brain so they are experiences simultaneously and involuntarily – to create unique pieces of artwork that trap music onto canvas. Synesthesia, which affects only four percent of the world’s population, varies from synesthete to synesthete, with no two being exactly alike. For Alexandra, her mind has hard-wired sound and colour together; a phenomenon dubbed, ‘Chromesthesia’. Imagine a riot of colour exploding behind your eyes when listening to orchestras, choirs, or songs on the radio.

An avid musician, Alexandra attended Brandon University as a Vocal Performance Major and continued to explore the variety of colours through different styles and centuries. She wanted to show people what it looked like to see a song, and thus her journey into painting began. By listening to music while painting, she is able to paint what the song ‘looks’ like, expressing the individual colours playing inside her mind.