until 08.05. | #4202ARTatBerlin | Jarmuschek + Partner shows from 16. March 2024 (Opening: 15.03.) the exhibition Erdlinge by the artist Malwine Stauss.
Face, arms and legs. Although some of them are only made of drops, of blossom hough they may consist of leaves or stars, the creatures in Malwine Stauss’s watercolors have something human about them. Each of the figures conveys a mood, seems to have a complex mind and a unique character. Beyond clichés, they also seem like types – mysterious allegories that could take their place alongside images of muses or personifications of seasons and virtues. And yet one may search in vain for a clear code to understand these colorful figures. They tell us nothing about established orders.
Inspired by science fiction and fantasy authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018), Malwine Stauss takes a step back with her latest series of works and takes a look at the human condition from the outside. The bodies of her ERDLINGE do not have a conventional shell, but with their associatively charged colors convey insights into emotional worlds and stages of emotional constitution far beyond their roles as roses, rain or roots. With disarming transparency, the artist makes the interior visible and at the same time makes it vividly clear that human existence is never separate from its surroundings. Nature, light and shadow, the elements of the planet exert their influence and form the basis of an alternative vision of the future far removed from space travel, machine aesthetics and mechanization.
Spacious and yet light, sometimes playful, Malwine Stauss’ figures are able to touch us emotionally. They arouse our curiosity and challenge our empathetic and benevolent gaze in a friendly and accommodating way. Without being intrusive, they hold a mirror up to us and make us ask existential questions: What makes us who we are? What connects us? How do we communicate? Where do we come from and where do we want to go?
Like superheroes, the glazed clay statuettes with their colorful suits, blue faces and flower collars radiate a cheerful self-confidence, warm-heartedness and optimism, smile at us sympathetically and, despite their vulnerability, seem to be strong together in all their differences. Malwine Stauss ERDLINGE are symbols of versatility and a wealth of emotions. Getting involved with them is worthwhile and promises joy and hope.
MALWINE STAUSS (*1993 in Dresden) studied graphic design at the HGB Leipzig from 2013 to 2019, where she received her diploma in the illustration class of Prof. Thomas M. Müller. In 2019, her work was selected for the curated special exhibition Academy POSITIONS at the POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair. Since then, Malwine Stauss has published her characteristic watercolors in several of her own books (including “THE TRIP” with Colorama 2020, “HEXEN” 2021 and “SOLA” 2022 with Rotopol), in magazines and as part of numerous other book projects. While her work has been presented internationally in exhibitions and at trade fairs, Malwine Stauss has already given interviews and been invited as a guest lecturer at the HFG Karlsruhe. She lives and works in Berlin and Leipzig.
Opening: Friday, 15. March 2024, 6 – 9 pm
Exhibition dates: Saturday, 16. March 2024 until Wednesday, 8. May 2024
Zur Galerie
Image caption: Courtesy Jarmuschek + Partner
Exhibition Malwine Stauss – Jarmuschek + Partner | Zeitgenössische Kunst in Berlin | Contemporary Art | Exhibitions Berlin Galleries | ART at Berlin