Lazy Corner

Katja Strunz

Exhibition: Mar 8 – May 13, 2007


Katja Strunz’s Artpace project, a series of angular sculptures made of steel, expands on the relationship between negative space and oblique form to visually express the ephemeral character of chronological progression.

The cluster of metal sculptures that emerge from the platform in the center of the gallery is defined by both the positive space of the individual works and the negative space that surrounds the group. Each triangular work varies in size and shape and is composed of an alternating series of metal folds. This collection of progressive shapes develops a connection between the physical angles of the sculptures and the abstract notion of chronology.

Raumraeuber (raptor spatii) [Room robber] (2007) further exposes the intimate relationship between the object and its environs. This wall-bound, two-dimensional steel structure, a remnant of the artist’s study of three-dimensional shapes, is composed of steep diagonals and trapezoidal forms. The resulting biomorphic shape seems to consume the space behind the figure itself as well as its surrounding area. Raumraeuber (raptor spatii) [Room robber] is complete only with the juxtaposition of its dynamic diagonal form and the neutral gallery walls that frame the figure.

Strunz’s interest in the potency of the found object is demonstrated by Desperate Space (2007), a rusted rectangular sculpture composed of scrap metal. The date 7-10-97, inscribed on the surface of the box, creates a pointed sense of the origin of the material. By presenting the dated object in the gallery, Strunz has inserted a sense of anchored history into the installation.

Throughout the gallery, Strunz has developed a visual language that exists in a state of constant flux. Characterized by sharp linear folds and dynamic angles, her works emphasize physicality and reference the development of chronology and history via explorations of conflict and resolution.

-Emily Morrison

Artist

Katja Strunz

Berlin, Germany

The undulating angular forms of recent installations, sculptures, and works on paper by Berlin-based Katja Strunz suggest the rhythmic progression of time. Strunz’s works depart from the rigidity of geometry to offer a conceptual exploration of the development of memory and the cyclic nature of history.
The dynamic wedged angles of Herbstzeitlose/Saffron Meadow (2005), a sculpture constructed of oxidized steelsheet, offer a visual representation of chronology. The work is a wall-bound group of isosceles triangles, a series of oblique metal forms that resemble folded paper. Strunz activates the multiple axes in this sculpture to explore the relationship between the obdurate material and the area surrounding the work. The resulting composition integrates positive and negative space to establish an environment in a state of constant flux—a corollary to the flexible relationship between space and time.
Katja Strunz was born in Ottweiler, Deütschland, in 1970 and currently lives in Berlin, Germany. She received her Meisterschuler from Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1998. She has presented solo projects at the Museum Haus Esters, Krefeld, Germany (2007, 2006); Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York, NY (2006, 2001); and The Modern Institute, Glasgow, UK (2003, 2001). Her work has been included in Art Scope, Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan (2006); Ars Viva 04/05 – Zeit, Zacheta Gallery, Warsaw, Poland (2005); and I Feel Mysterious Today, Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art, Lake Worth, FL (2004).

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Curator

Debra Singer

New York, New York, USA

In 2004 Debra Singer was appointed Executive Director and Chief Curator of The Kitchen, and has since organized performances and exhibitions, including the first New York exhibition of Walid Raad/The Atlas Group. Singer had previously served as a Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY since 1997. While there she organized solo exhibitions with Helen Mirra, Paul Pfeiffer, Paul Sietsema, and Sarah Sze, the sound and performance components of the2002 Whitney Biennial, and was a co-organizer of the 2004 Whitney Biennial. Her writings have been included in Artforum, as well as other publications.
 

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