Elisabeth Ehmann – UNIKAT sculptures
27 September – 23 October 2014
HINTERLANDGALLERY, 65 The Old High Street, Folkestone, KENT CT20 1RN
Exhibition opening night: Saturday 27th September 2014, 6.30–8.30pm
The artist will be present at the exhibition opening.
Guest speaker: Christine Takengny, Curator, The Contemporary Art Society
HINTERLANDGALLERY proudly presents Elisabeth Ehmann’s first solo show in the UK, UNIKAT sculptures, a selection of the Berlin-based artist’s early work.
UNIKAT sculptures are developed from unique objects, such as a limited edition rocking horse, a hand-carved gentleman’s cane and a housecat statuette, which Ehmann transforms using a highly detailed decoupage application of vintage erotic comics and photographic material.
A major component of Ehmann‘s practice is the elementary, joyful, experience of collecting material with which to start the creative process – the discovery of new objects. Ehmann is interested in the essential quality of the materials she uses as well as their formal characteristics: the surface properties, type and density of the paper, the nature, shape and presentation of the found objects. She sources her soft-core imagery and text from pornographic comic books bought in second-hand fairs and markets throughout Europe.
The UNIKAT sculptures at first glance appear to be simply covered, their surfaces camouflaged. It is only upon closer study that the works’ rich, repurposed sexual narratives reveal themselves in titillating specificity.
UNIKAT sculptures juxtapose innocence and guilt – lascivious printed matter wraps innocent bodies. As the observer gets closer to the work, a feeling of deception – something harmless appears to be something other – is replaced by a need to look at the detail of the sculptures, to survey up-close the salacious, the bawdy.
Elisabeth Ehmann’s artwork reflects her life experience – eschewing the negative she is fascinated by subtle beauty and makes work that is composed, enigmatic and humorous.
In 2012, Ehmann’s sculptural works debuted for example in exhibitions at the MONOQI Liberatum Design Summit and at Soho House in Berlin and F95.
Elisabeth Ehmann was born in 1977 in Munich, Germany. Today, she lives and works in Berlin, Germany.
More information about the artist on www.elisabethehmann.com and on www.hinterlandgallery.co.uk