"Loops, towers, ribbons, straps"

A new exhibition of ceramics and woodcuts from Claudia Terstappen.

Claudia Terstappen studied sculpture in relation to architecture and photography at the Art Academy Düsseldorf/Germany with Erich Reusch and Tony Cragg. She works with a wide range of styles and materials focusing on the interrelationship between culture and nature. Since 2015 the artist has been working intensively with ceramics. For her exhibition Loops, towers, ribbons, straps she has created powerful ceramic sculptures which she juxtaposes with woodcuts to create a vibrant dialogue between 2 and 3-dimensional forms. These works act as a portal for our memories and include a diverse array of animated and playful forms ranging from tendrilous plants to industrial settings.

"In my work I react to specific aspects of my surroundings as found in architecture, or the natural environment. There are often particular shapes, colour combinations or compositions that stay with me, and that later get translated or incorporated into my sculptures. This happens quite freely. I isolate these phenomena, often enlarge them, concentrating on particular aspects as a response to what I've seen, like articulating memory. Set between the visible and the imaginary, the works create tensions between organisms and abstract forms, remaining open to an infinite net of relationships between culture and nature."

Claudia Terstappen has lived and worked in Düsseldorf, London, New York, Hong Kong and Barcelona and moved to Australia in late 2004. Her work is held in collections worldwide, including the Museum of Fine Art Houston, Texas USA; Osaka Prefectural Government, Japan; Colección Rafael Tous de Arte Contemporáneo, Spain; Museum DKM, Germany and Warrnambool Art Gallery, Australia. Terstappen has shown internationally, including in the Louvre Paris, White Column New York, and the Triennale for Sculpture in Osaka, where she was awarded the Bronze Prize for Sculpture. Her work is currently on display together with Richard Long in Museum DKM, Duisburg.