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
