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until 16.04. | #0417ARTatBerlin |Esther Schipper shows from the 12th of March 2016 the second solo exhibition by the artist Isa Melsheimer at the gallery. The title “Über die Dünnhäutigkeit von Schwellen” literally means “About the thin-skinned-ness of thresholds”.
Entitled Über die Dünnhäutigkeit von Schwellen, the exhibition includes new concrete and ceramic works. In addition to a suite of gouaches, the rooms will be altered by a network of threads addressing the changeability and fragility of space, both in general and in the context of the specific conditions of this exhibition space.
Isa Melsheimer engages with the history of architectural styles—especially the legacy of Modernism and of concrete constructions from the 1960s and 1970s, a style generally referred to as Brutalism. Her works are expressions of her extensive research as well as formal investigations. The artist acts as archeologist of often forgotten or neglected buildings, recreating their distinctive shapes both from her research and from her re-imagining of the forms. Even if the individual buildings are not all well known and therefore might not be immediately recognizable, the formal language is familiar and has become a pervasive part of the urban landscape. Her work examines the connotations of the buildings’ historical and architectural context, and the ideological connotations with which the materials, aesthetics, and functions may be imbued.
In her gouaches of architectural sites, Isa Melsheimer constructs small autonomous worlds, seemingly detached from their real-world settings. The artist often chooses black and white source material showing the buildings in their original condition, that is, without signs of subsequent decay or dilapidation and without later architectural or landscaping additions. The impression of these structures existing in a self-contained, timeless space is further emphasized by the fantastic elements that appear in these environments: wild animals like foxes or porcupines, clusters of brilliantly colored crystalline formations or extravagantly dark starry night skies.
Her glazed ceramics find another kind of representation of architectural structures that depart in scale, material and color from their sources. Although their scale recalls the miniaturized and schematic appearance of preliminary architectural models, the material and colors add a fantastic, playful aspect.
A large scale installation using threads to create geometric shapes addressing the architectural conditions of the exhibition space will span both rooms.
Isa Melsheimer, born 1969 in Neuss, Germany, studied at the University of Arts, Berlin. Selected solo exhibitions include: Kontrastbedürfnis, Ernst Barlach Haus, Hamburg (2015), Vermilion Sands and other Stories from the Neon West, Santa Monica Museum of Art (2012); Mittelland, Kunsthaus Langenthal, Switzerland (with Daniel Robert Hunziker) (2010); Carré d’art—musée d’art contemporain, Nîmes (2010). Recent group exhibitions include: Was Modelle Können, Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Siegen (2014); Backdoor Fantasies/Fluchtwege und Hintertüren, KAI 21/ Arthena Foundation, Düsseldorf (2014); Widersprüchliche Konturen, Märkisches Museum Witten, Witten (2014); Villa Massimo At Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin (2014); Schauplatz Stadt – Gemälde, Zeichnungen, Installationen von der Klassischen Moderne bis zur Gegenwart, Kunstmuseum Mülheim An Der Ruhr, Mülheim (2013); Feminismus Symposium. F*******. Towards New Perspectives on Feminism, Espace Surplus, Berlin (2012); 30 Künstler / 30 Räume, Neues Museum, Nuremberg (2012); THE GARDEN OF EDEN – GALERIE UTOPIA / THE FORGOTTEN BAR PROJECT by Tjorg Douglas Beer, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2012); (re)designing nature, Städtische Galerie Bremen (2011); Mondes inventés, Mondes habités, MUDAM, Luxembourg (2010); Pamphile Show #3, Sammlung Falckenberg, Hamburg (2010). The artist lives and works in Berlin.
Vernissage: Saturday, 12th March 2016, from 6:00 p.m.
Exhibition period: Saturday, 12th March to Saturday, 16th April 2016
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Image caption: © Isa Melsheimer, Nr. 343, 2014
Isa Melsheimer Exhibition – Esther Schipper – ART at Berlin
