Monika Grabuschnigg - 'Fantasy electrifies my hand'

All the pieces were part of Monika Grabuschnigg’s solo exhibition, 'Fantasy electrifies my hand'.

Although Grabuschnigg’s work is based on love and intimacy which is relatively different to my theme, I am still heavily inspired by the forms and colours that she uses in her sculptures. As well as what I personally see in the sculpture, what it makes me think and feel. Monika encourages this in the viewer saying -

"quite often when someone comes to tell me what they see in the work, it does correlate with my intentions. I see this as a success for me, as I have been able to visually explore and confess an emotion to a viewer through sculpture."

Thoughts, inspiration and Ideas from the exhibition -

‘What Shall I Swear by’ LEFT SCULPTURE - Feels like a demonic danger sign, a warning that there are monsters in the area.
‘What Shall I Swear by’ RIGHT SCULPTURE - Devil Horns and eyes engraved on the inside of the sculpture. Subtle hints to it being a living being. Could make abstract sculptures inspired by the Scottish Folklore I know and have learnt.
‘so it is a lover who bubbles and who foams’ - This is my favorite piece, centered in the exhibition space. I like the way Grabuschnigg has incorporated water and bubbles into her design. Water is a constant element of Scottish folklore from the mythical creatures such as kelpies, selkies and Nessie to the ancient tales of witches creating whirlpools to ward off pirates. I am going to start looking at how I myself can include water in my sculptures. I also love her use of textured clay and the colour pink to create the illusion of skin.
‘rooted in the dark interior of delay’ - I like the muted pastel colours Grabuschnigg’s uses in her ceramic designs, giving it a dreamy, ethereal look. I want to keep my colour scheme to pastels and ‘dull’ colours with the occasional hint of bright or even aluminous elements. These colours are often used to create mythical settings and that is why I think it will compliment my project well. I think this piece by Monika shows this particularly well.

A quote I like from Monika Grabuschnigg -

“As little kids, we build things out of mud, sand, or toy blocks, and with that, [we] start to understand our surroundings,” she said. “Then we enroll in school and everything becomes flat, the mud and dirt are gone, and the horizon of our imagination shrinks. That’s how I felt when I started to work with clay—like I was rediscovering a way of understanding the world.”

Links

REITER Gallery | Fantasy electrifies my hand (reitergalleries.com)

MONIKA GRABUSCHNIGG

These 20 Female Artists Are Pushing Sculpture Forward | Artsy

Monika Grabuschnigg on Pink and the Symbols of Love - ELEPHANT

FMP Research This page is part of the collection 'Final Major Project '.

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