Bandage

Ursula Neugebauer
September 02  —  September 14, 2016
-1 × UndergroundGF × Ground Floor

My work stands at the intersection of installation, object, space, and media. It follows in the tradition of metamorphosing everyday life and objects and is analytical and precise. I allow the viewer not only to perceive the world and reality with heightened senses, but also to experience the consolations art offers in the face of what is unspeakable about existence.

The dialectics between presence and absence, and forgetting and remembering, both play major roles in my work. These questions are a constant that run through my entire oeuvre in various forms.

For the present exhibitions at Mohsen Gallery, I have selected three series around the theme of the body and its formation and deformation: Chador (2006), Bondage (2011), and en face (2014).

en face (2014) displays a part of the human body, namely, the hair of women who sell their bodies. In other words, the series is comprised of portraits of prostitutes drawn with their hair.

Seven oversized chadors (religious cloaks for women whose function is to protect their bodies), each with a red lining, compose Chador (2006). The fabrics are arranged on the wall in such a way that viewers can see the inside of the chadors. The red of the lining, which is visible, stands for vitality, joie de vivre, and expression, all of which are meant to be concealed by the black textile.

The photo series Bondage (2011) shows tulips whose white petals are elaborately embroidered. Thus sewn together and fixed, the flowers can no longer move: this immobilization I liken to Asiatic bondage.

All of these, of course, are allusions to the role of sexuality in society: the way it is practiced as well as how and to what extent it is suppressed.

Series