Dioramas and Objects

During pandemic times I came back to one of my original ways of working: Collecting fragmented objects, objets trouvés, used and useless things in order to transform them into stages for drawings.

The panorama, the diorama and the cabinet of curiosities – models from art history giving a certain view on the world are the basis for the ongoing series of my “dioramas”. These microcosmic stages reflect these concepts showing everyday life scenes creating constellations which go beyond usual ways of perception.

Several layers of drawings with cutouts are scaled behind each other, they both give a spatial dimension to the drawing and emphasize the limits within the perspective of the beholder, as they negate a general overview: There are always hidden parts within the work. An interplay of light and shadow caused by the change of daylight brings the scene into motion.

Staged in worn out drawers and boxes the material evokes a haptic moment: it recalls the desire of analogue human beings in a digital world to arrange/organize things in proper order. A recurring topic is the individual being shifting between the poles of autonomy and determination.

Lockdown times made me first stay at home then stay in the studio. I avoided public transport and went for long walks. I found out that people used their time staying at home to renovate their flats and to get rid of things they did not need anymore, placing them in boxes in front of their homes. A nice habit.

I started to collect things which I could use for artworks: Bowls of glass, pieces of wood, worn-out drawers, fragments of lamps etc. The microcosm and the small individual world gained a new presence within everybody’s life, the concept of inventing microcosmic scenes in form of dioramas and objects regained a new presence within my work.

In June, I had the chance to stay at the “Kunstarkaden Kempten” for a month, an artist-run space with artist in residency studio and an exhibition space. I felt a bit like living in an aquarium as the place was located in a store with wide windows directing to the street. People could see me working from outside. I was quasi moving within my own diorama space creating a series of dioramas. A nice coincidence.