The Invitation
Series
2024-ongoing
Details
Archival pigment ink transfer on aged aluminium Hand-sawn, hand-applied 24-karat gold leaf Museum glass, museum board Image size 15 × 15 cm, framed size 33 × 33 cm Signed, titled, dated, and editioned on verso Edition of 5 unique variants, each individually hand-finished by the artist
Archival pigment ink transfer on aged aluminium
Hand-sawn, hand-applied 24-karat gold leaf
Museum glass, museum board
Image size 15 × 15 cm, framed size 33 × 33 cm
Signed, titled, dated, and editioned on verso
Edition of 5 unique variants, each individually hand-finished by the artist
The Invitation
Artist Statement
Everyday life, constantly enclosing us, holds a wealth of treasures, waiting for being discovered by us, perceived in a moment of silence. In times like these, it might seem quite a challenge to give in to this deeply felt yearning for harmony and see the beauty that surrounds us.
On walking through a landscape, my senses can open up to moments of exactly this beauty, often unheeded and lying in secret, notice them and give them artistic expression. Pressing the camera shutter button, which opens the lens shutter for the moment I choose, is comparable to the symbolic act of opening a portal. It is exactly this act that creates a link between the objectivity of the perceived and my subjective interpretation.
The word portal is derived from the Latin word porta, meaning door, gate and gateway. They all stand for a transition from the outside to the inside world. As such, they can be regarded as entrances and exits and passages between the unknown to the known.
In architecture portals can be found throughout the centuries, be it in palaces, cathedrals, castles etc. They all are meant as invitation to enter and this inviting gesture is expressed in sculptural design and rich ornamentation, this underscoring the sanctity of the place, the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
Drawing upon this art historic inspiration, I attempt to open up a symbolic door for the beholder by way of sawing out and then three-dimensionally assembling a special picture element. It is brought to the fore by additional gilding in 24 carat - the purest form of this metal, thus creating a frame, a picture in the picture, in short: a portal.
Its intention is to create a thematic connection with the beholder and invite them to search for the translucent poetry in everyday life.
PHOTOLUCIDA CRITICAL MASS TOP 200
The series The Invitation has also been selected for the Photolucida 2024 Critical Mass Top 200.
HONORABLE MENTION FOR The Invitation II, 2024 by L.A. PHOTO CURATOR
The Invitation II has been awarded a Honorable Mention by guest jurors of L.A. Photo Curator “The Handmade Tale” - Debra Achen and Diana H. Bloomfield in September 2024.
PUBLISHED I SHADOW AND LIGHT MAGAZINE