Project funded by the “Neustart plus” grant from the Kunstfonds (German Fund for Contemporary Art) / Neustart Kultur from the BKM.

Exhibition view: ” KURIOS “, National Castle Neue Residenz, Bamberg. A spatial intervention that interacts with the furniture and historic works of art from the royal flats. Group exhibition curated by the artist Andreas Chwatal and the Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung. With the kind support of the Internationales Künstlerhaus, Villa Concordia.

Free-standing sculpture with metal and textile pedestal ( h 180 x w 65 x d 415 cm ) pedestal made in collaboration with the artist David Luis Grimm
Leopard-print velvet fabric ( 60 x 400 cm )
UV print on cracked laminated glass ( h 180 x w 65 x d 1 cm )

A leopard-print train extends the parade of a cracked man-sized glass pane. A change of perspective reveals this glass facing the leopard (name given to the new German battle tanks sent to Ukraine). ” Tank man ” ?
The leopard print, now part of popular culture and once a sign of singular power, blends into the room’s exuberant baroque décor and wood marquetry floor.

CLEOPATRA

This project was supported by the NEUSTARTplus grant from the Kunstfonds (German contemporary art fund) / NEUSTART KULTUR from the BKM.

h 85 x w 85 x d 85 cm
burnt leopard print velvet fabric
cracked wired glass
Metal base 60 x 80 cm

The symbolism of the leopard motif has evolved over time. Whether royal, erotic, haute couture or cheaply decorative, the leopard motif remains synonymous with power. For a long time, leopard skin was worn by the ruling class, then attributed to the wives of their chiefs. Today, the motif is used by the army to name its tanks, and the working classes wear it in major parades… It is incorporated into numerous representations of women dressed or lying on the skin of a beast – bacchantes, amazons or dianes – depicting nudity and sensuality. Women adorned with an attribute of power essentially reserved for men. The sculpture, partially draped in this camouflage motif, covers cracks:

” Tank woman ” ?