Christiane Löhr: diffuse

April 19 - May 25, 2018

*Christiane Löhr, Untitled, 2017, Oil pastel on paper, 60 1/5 x 76 3/4 inches*

“The world of Christiane Löhr is animated by a bright and airy alacrity. It reveals the vital, plastic strength of all that is fleeting, all that depends on the fluidity of a gust of wind, all that suggests the presence of a non-violent plastic animation that is light and sensitive.”

--- Germano Celant ---

“Her work could be defined in just a few words: the simplicity, modesty, and great beauty of nature’s small and almost always overlooked things.”

--- Giuseppe Panza ---

Made of either organized plant matter or animal hair that she gathers in nature, Löhr’s sculptures evoke architectural structures and geometric forms of varying complexity. Studying her materials in depth to assess their resistance and elasticity, she assembles them without the aid of anything other than their inherent supporting forces. While the works might appear effortless, light and delicate, they are the results of careful planning. The latter serves to honor each material's unique characteristics while also isolating it from its original context. Here, assemblages made of weeds, seed pods, grass stalks, burrs, horse or dog hair, transform into independent objects, which reflect a larger contemplation of space, structure and light. The same applies to Löhr’s abstract works on paper, which reflect a simultaneous practice. “To me, line and space cannot be divided”, she explains. "On the contrary, they depend on each other. Drawing a line on an empty piece of paper feels like cutting space and dividing it into sections.” Embracing a gestural quality and sense of spontaneity, Löhr’s works on paper manifest as an ongoing investigation of the interplay between translucency and opacity, biomorphic form and geometric rhythm.

This exhibition coincides with Löhr's current installation at Tony Cragg Foundation - Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden in Wuppertal, Germany (through July 1, 2018). She is a recipient of The Shifting Foundation Award (2018). Recent institutional solo exhibitions include Kunsthaus Baselland, Switzerland (2016) and the Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum in Shizuoka, Japan (2015), both of which were accompanied by extensive monographs. Born in Wiesbaden in 1965, Löhr studied Egyptology, Archeology, Classics and History at the University of Bonn before enrolling at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where she was a master student of Jannis Kounellis. She is based in Cologne, Germany and Prato, Italy.

Christiane Löhr (b.1965) was born in Wiesbaden. She has exhibited extensively in Europe and Asia, including at the 49th Biennale di Venezia. She is a recipient of The Shifting Foundation Award (2018). Recent institutional solo exhibitions include at the Tony Cragg Foundation - Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden in Wuppertal, Germany (2018), Kunsthaus Baselland, Switzerland (2016) and the Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum in Shizuoka, Japan (2015), and her solo exhibition at the Villa Panza in Varese, Italy (2010), was the last exhibition conceived by the acclaimed collector Giuseppe Panza. . Born in Wiesbaden in 1965, Löhr studied Egyptology, Archeology, Classics and History at the University of Bonn before enrolling at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where she was a master student of Jannis Kounellis. She is based in Cologne, Germany and Prato, Italy.