11/9/2003
Christiane Baumgartner
Domo Baal, London
At the heart of Baumgartner's work is the experience of speed and that of its deliberate pausing, with particular reference to cars, airplanes and wind turbines. She selects stills from her own video footage, and transposes them laboriously, cutting into large wood plates.
SPEED/STANDSTILL
domoBaal is proud to present Christiane Baumgartner's first UK solo show:
SPEED / STANDSTILL, following her two successful solo exhibitions in
Leipzig and Oslo earlier this year.
At the heart of Baumgartner's work is the experience of speed and that of
its deliberate pausing, with particular reference to cars, airplanes and
wind turbines. She selects stills from her own video footage, and
transposes them laboriously, cutting into large wood plates. The
juxtaposition of film as the fastest and latest reproduction technique and
woodcut as the slowest and earliest, is a prime concern in the work.
Rigorously limiting herself to the graphic language of horizontal black and
white lines she transforms power, force and speed into a delicate beauty,
which is further enhanced by printing by hand onto customised handmade
paper.
The artist's vocabulary is strictly limited to the black and white lines
that would normally irritate the eye in a low definition image,
freeze-framed image. Incised with precision, and on a large scale, these
lines challenge the viewer to confront the perception of his own
perspective. '...she fixes the state of being unfixed.'( Anne Hamlyn in:
Christiane Baumgartner, Speed / Standstill, Leipzig: Carivari 2003, p. 30.)
The menacing presence suggested by the choice of these particular machines
as motifs is palpable.
Christiane Baumgartner lives and works in Leipzig. Following her studies in
Leipzig at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst she took her MA at the
Royal College of Art in 1999 under the DAAD scheme. Her work consists of
video, artist books and woodcuts. In 2000 she won the prize at the
International Triennal of Original Graphic Prints in Grenchen, Switzerland.
Last year she was selected for the annual 'Leipziger Jahresausstellung' for
which she also won the prize. Her work is held in public and private
collections in the UK, Holland, Germany and Switzerland. The Museum der
bildenden Künste Leipzig will exhibit her largest and most recent woodcut
ÂTRANSALLÂin their newly commissioned building due to open to the public in
2004.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a bi-lingual catalogue of 60 pages in
full colour. Images, publication, CV and further information available from
Domo Baal.
Exhibition dates: Thursday 4th September until Saturday 4th October 2003
Private view and book launch: Friday 12th September 6 to 9 pm
Open: Thursday to Saturday from 12 to 6 pm and by appointment
Forthcoming exhibitions:
11.10.03Â15.11.03 AUSLAND: Jan Peters, Silke Schatz, Martina Schmid,
(accompanying publication)
21.11.03Â20.12.03 THERE IS ANOTHER WORLD: Bob Matthews and Mark Monaghan
January/February 2004: Ansel Krut
domoBaal contemporary art
3 John Street, London WC1N 2ES
t: 0044(0)207242 9604