Petra Lupe | ichbinimmerviele
18. November 2021 – 11. February 2022
I am always many - many techniques, many perspectives, many formats, many materials, many layers, many repetitions, many work steps, many thoughts and feelings. The exhibition gives an insight into the diverse works of Petra Lupe, who lives in Upper Austria, and shows her astonishing handling of different materials and techniques.
The focus of the exhibition is formed by three series of works: Texture, Open Rooms and Inside my coloured world.
The works from the Texture-series, created in 2020, are united by examining the different characteristics of materials. The layering of ash, egg tempera and cotton creates exciting surface structures and the need to feel them in the spectator. The works are connected by monochrome, which is repeatedly interrupted by the changing haptics and the incidence of light.
The term "room" or "space" got a new meaning last year - space to work, space to enjoy, space to live, space to be, spaces of thoughts and spaces of feelings. In the series Open Rooms, Petra Lupe processes the experience of restriction and tightness, as well as the need and desire for freedom - not only on the outside, but above all on the inside.
It is impressive how many facets can be found in one color - in the works from the Inside my colored world-series, you can indulge in this color observation and discover new shades, surface structures and patterns.
From canvas to paper and sewing work to objects, the artist calls it “working on trial and error”. Many materials are recycled through Lupe and find their way from her surroundings into her work. The artist experiments with it, let herself into the different properties and properties of ash, cotton, cardboard, ... and experiments with it. Working in series is particularly important for Lupe, because only by repeatedly dealing with one topic or material she dives deeper and finds her way forward layer by layer until the right visual language is found.
If one looks at the works as a whole, one encounters a multitude of characteristics that are often opposed to one another in our social understanding: male - female, monochrome - polychrome, coarse - fine, chance - plan, light - dark, abundance - reduction, emotional - Rational, rest - movement. In her works, Lupe manages to combine this seemingly contrary in a symbiosis. Everything finds its place and fits into a diverse yet singular overall picture.
Text: Selin Stütz
