By Alicia Brown (MFA 2014)
It has been 34 days since we entered the gates of the
Spinnerei, and every day from that moment has been a pinch-me experience. Waking up in the mornings to the sound of Neo Rauch working
in his studio (located above the large studio space I share with Krista Smith)
is definitely my alarm clock to start the day.
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Krista Smith talking to students from
the international school about her work
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Working in the large studio is rewarding, but at times we
just want to step outside and unwind, clear our heads and look at art. One of
the benefits of being in a residency at the Spinnerei is the fact that it is
home to a large artist community. Nestled within this large factory complex are
approximately 14 galleries and about a hundred studio spaces that are mostly
occupied by artists.
Gallery Visits in the
Spinnerei
On June 23, all the galleries opened their doors for a
tradition of Summer Exhibitions. The Spinnerie was abuzz with both local and
foreign visitors, including us from the Academy and Anna Roland (director of LIA
residency), who came from Berlin for the event.
On view at the Werkschau Gallery is the first exhibition in
Germany of paintings by British artist Robert Lenkiewicz (1941-2002). Robert is
a postwar British artist; his paintings are sociological inquiries in the lives
of what he has called "invisible people"--vagrants, addicts, the elderly and those
with disabilities. It was great to have the opportunity to see his works in
person. As I found out later after the opening from one of the assistants
involved in getting the show to Germany, this was the first time Robert’s work have been shown outside of London.
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The Painter with Mary in Newspaper Magi-fool’s hats, 1981
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Studio Visits...
In addition to our studio visits inside and outside the Spinnerai, we were surprised by a visit from the
mayor of Leipzig, who seemed very pleased when we mentioned that we were
students from New York Academy of Art.
More recently we visited the studio of artist Titus Shade. A former
student of Neo Rauch, Titus creates paintings that merge flat geometric architectural
shapes with three-dimensional organic forms such as clouds and trees. The
juxtaposition with the flatness and illusion of form in his paintings is an
interesting shift from the more figurative representation that is present in
the works of other artists from the Leipzig school. Titus visited our studios as well.
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On our way to Titus Shade’s studio with
Tim Buckley,
Krista Smith, and Shangkai Kevin Yu.
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Titus Shade in his studio talking to us
about his work
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| Titus Shade and me in my studio |
Another artist who came to
visit our studio is German artist Sven Braun. Sven is a painter who also has
his studio in the Spinnerei.
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Krista smith, Sven Braun, Kristina (LIA)
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Visit to Museum der Bildenden Kunste Leipzig
The Museum of Modern Art Leipzig is home to a collection of
works by the forefathers of German art and younger artists who continue to work
and live in Leipzig. Among the forefathers are Max Klinger, Richard Wagner, Max Beckmann and Werner Tubke to name a few. The modern collection was interestingly represented by a few young
artists such as David Schnell and Martin Kobe. This, in my estimation, is quite an
accomplishment for these young artists (and others who are not mention here).
I was pleased with the works on view at the museum. One of
my favorites was an installation piece by internationally acclaimed artist Rosalie Gascoigne entitled Landscapes of Melancholy. Dedicated to Richard
Wagner, Max Klinger and Karl May. The
piece is an audiovisual, kinetic light installation; in the centre is a piano
that plays the piano sonata no.3. The piano is kept in motion by kinetic
actuators that are triggered via contact sensors when visitors walk on the
floor that is covered with dark leaves made from spun rayon.
Happy (belated) Fourth of July from all of us in Leipzig!
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