One exhibition of Marianne Heller`s annual gallery program is dedicated to the topic of figurative sculpture: persons, beasts or hybrids. Ironic and cheerful, sneering grotesque, seriously restrained or lost in reverie these figures easily prove the genre's freshness and potential. This new show is presenting 7 artist from all over Germany filling the gallery's room and walls with their works. Everyone choosing his own theme they show their different approaches giving inimitable life to works of art.
Kirsten Brünjes from Bremen is telling „Of Man and Beast“: Small creatures made of stoneware or porcelain are accurately arranged on the wall – like dainty toys or clean preparations but far from being unalive they show an amazing richness of details and make us wonder about the artist`s technical skills.
Suiss-born Marianne Eggimann`s porcelain figurines appear outlandish: Matt white miniatures of hybrids and mutants, realistically modelled like creepy knickknack or zoological models, dignified and bizarre like parts of a new mythology – strange „Relatives“.
Theresia Hebenstreit living in Wiesbaden and well-known in the Gallery Heller returns with her figure: „Luzie is back“. This stylized little character always self confident smiling and charmingly well-rounded has many names but it remains the same: A kind of modern mother goddess figurine.
Martin Neubert is professor at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle presenting „Breakfast with Clowns“. His roughly modelled busts and half figures are often combined with details of plastic, glass or cement and strongly painted. Nevertheless they are not simply naive but formulating basic problems of sculpture.
Sybille Onnen is working in Karlsruhe. Her „Wallrunners“ burst of physical joy of motion: Thick glazed female couples running and rolling over the walls becoming alive without being straight naturalistic.
Silvia Siemes from Beuren near Nürtingen is the most serious artist of the seven: Her sculptures of contemporary women (and men) do not know any fun or irony, they are „Staying Waiting“ – post-modern characters of yearning, momentarily dropped out of daily life, longing for je-ne-sais-quoi...
Perhaps more ironic than all the others is Beate Thiesmeyer from Kaub: Her „Female dwarfs and some other helpful beings“are standing or sitting, friendly introverted with their eyes closed, in underpants, with poited hat or wearing some kind of pinny. Do they have significance or do they laugh about the need to make sense? |
