ARTIST STATEMENT

Operating at the intersection of architecture, art and geography, my work addresses the way we relate and respond to the natural environment and is primarily focused towards exploring the contours of today's dislocated consumer society. The strategy of examining and depicting subjects in a topographical manner helps me to better understand the shape of a world that has become increasingly flat, synthetic and superficial, and also aims at peering at the landscape through a twenty-first century lens.

The traditional boundaries between photography and sculpture are being dissolved in my work. Photography abandones the two-dimensional plane and sets out to conquer the space. This hybridization of media enables me to create multi-layered, facetted images in which the fragility of our seemingly certain reality becomes palpable, fostering new ways to look at the world around us. Shapes – whether borrowed from topographic maps, stock charts or any other graphical representation of data – are dissociated from their original context and acquire new meanings.

My photographic relief sculptures are generally made from cardboard and paper and are painstakingly cut and assembled by hand. I strongly believe that I wouldn’t be able to grasp the very essence of my work, if I didn’t sculpt it manually - just like landscape can be fully experienced only by walking. In this way, my artistic practice is not only an approach to addressing sustainability issues, but also an approach to sustainable design.

We are currently witnessing an environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity unprecedented in history. Unique natural heritage is gradually being depleted or replaced for the mere purpose of economic growth, and it seems that we have completely forgotten about the aesthetic values of landscape. As a world citizen, I am concerned about contemporary landscape change and the prevailing landscape perception. My photographic relief sculptures mainly deal with these issues and, even though on a reduced scale, attempt to capture some of the natural beauty that surrounds us.

BIOGRAPHY

Stefanie Herr, born 1974 in Germany, holds a degree in Architecture from TU Berlin. After working within the profession for several years, she decides to pursue a genuinely artistic career in 2007. Stefanie currently lives and works in Barcelona, Spain.

Since 2009, her delicate handiwork has been shown in several group exhibitions across Europe, including: BAC! International Festival of Contemporary Art, Centre de Cultura Contemporània CCCB, Barcelona, Spain (2009), C.A.R. Talents, Contemporary Art Ruhr - The Innovative Art Fair, Zeche Zollverein, Essen, Germany (2011), Cabinet Exhibition, Islington Arts Factory, London, United Kingdom (2012), The Best Design of the Year, Museu del Disseny DHUB, Barcelona, Spain (2013), and Sofia International Paper Biennial, Vivacom Art Hall, Sofia, Bulgaria (2015). In 2014, she had her first gallery solo exhibition, En Plein Air, at Santa Teresa Espai d'Art, Barcelona.

In 2013, Stefanie was shortlisted for the ArtFAD Awards of Contemporary Arts and Crafts, and in 2015 for the Sculpture Award Fundació Vila Casas. Some of her projects have been featured in prestigious online magazines for visual arts and design such as Designboom and Trendhunter.