until 26.08. | #3922ARTatBerlin | galerie probst presents from 2. June 2023 the exhibition Erde by the artist Selina Baumann.
Selina Baumann (*1988) is known for her biomorphic, organic ceramic sculptures. Some are reminiscent of jellyfish, bacteria or extraterrestrial beings. Others are columnar and over two metres tall, entwined with bulging mesh. For Selina Baumann, her sculptures are “mystical beings”, as she calls them. That is why they bear names like “Bellis”, “Silene” and “Rafita”, names that sound strange and yet familiar – just like the creatures themselves. Although they are made of hard and heavy ceramics, the sculptures seem to be in constant change, they are characterised by the imperfect. They are unstable and crooked, almost as if they were still unfinished. Baumann himself says: “I don’t want to create anything pretty. The viewer should be disturbed by my sculptures, should feel the need to touch the sculpture and straighten it out.”
This literal grasping of their beings enables the viewer to have a haptic experience: is the surface porous and rough or smooth and cool? And what does this touch do to you? Baumann himself takes a very physical approach to the production process. She perceives the powerful working of the soft clay with her hands as a dialogue with a friend. Sometimes her hands shape it, sometimes the clay determines the form. Under her hands, the material develops a life of its own, the essence urges to take shape.
Baumann loves to experiment with different materials. The latest works are drawn primordial plants on ceramic plates and textiles. The former are fired from white clay and are only slightly larger than an A4 sheet. The heavy, hard plate and the filigree, floating plant on it create a palpable tension. In her fabric paintings, too, she plays with the sensual perception of the material. The fabric radiates something light and soft, but is quite heavy due to its size (180x100cm). Depending on the incidence of light, the quilted floral pattern on the olive green fabric stands out in relief – like fossil traces on the forest floor.
In this respect, all her works have something to do with earth. The material clay consists of earth. And last but not least, new life grows from earth – in any form.
Short biography:
Selina Baumann lives and works in Basel, Switzerland. She completed her studies in sculpture in 2014. In 2013 she received the Förderpreis Kunst- und Kulturstiftung Heinrich Danioth , in 2014 and 2015 the Kiefer Hablitzel Prize, in 2018 the Cristina Spoerri Prize and in 2019 she achieved the Kunstpreis Riehen . She has participated in 46 group exhibitions in many different cities and countries.
Opening: Friday, 2. June 2023 from 6pm
Exhibition dates: Friday, 2. June until Saturday, 26. August 2023
To the Gallery
Image caption: Selina Baumann, Courtesy of Galerie Probst
Exhibition Selina Baumann – galerie probst | Zeitgenössische Kunst in Berlin | Contemporary Art | Ausstellungen Berlin Galerien | ART at Berlin