Anka Manshusen was born in Bremerhaven in northern Germany. After completing a vocational training in craftsmanship in Hamburg, she studied Fine Arts at the FIU Hamburg with Wolfgang Genoux and Karin Genoux, master students of Joseph Beuys.
In 1996 she graduated in Visual Communication with a focus on photography from the University of Fine Arts Hamburg (HFBK), studying under Prof. Silke Grossmann and Prof. Kilian Breier.
Her work has been shown in international exhibitions and art contexts, including Barcelona, Madrid, Donostia / San Sebastián, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Davos, among others at CCCB — Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, the Barcelona Design Week, as well as various international art festivals and exhibitions.
Today, Anka Manshusen lives and works between Germany and the Mediterranean coast of Spain.