Work in progress: Ruth Unger and Rozalina Busel; Photo: Florian Schurz
On Thursday, April 24th at 6 PM, the exhibition by the two current guest artists, Ruth Unger from Leipzig and Rozalina Busel from Belarus, will open!
The exhibition presents works created over six weeks of intensive work and exchange as part of the international °Ceramic Artist Exchange – Tandem program.
Ruth Unger: work in progress; Photo: Florian Schurz
Ruth Unger, who has roots in Berlin and lives and works in Leipzig, has been dedicated to her mask series “One Mask. One Day.” since 2020. During her residency at the Keramikkünstlerhaus, she translated the series into the medium of ceramics, creating over 100 new masks that are now on view in the exhibition. The basic form – an elliptical mask with three round openings for the eyes, nose, or mouth – remains the same for each mask, while the surface has been reimagined every time: with sculpted objects, drawings, and impressions of everyday items. The resulting sculptures challenge conventional ways of seeing and reimagine identity in new ways. Unger describes this process as a search for the self in a world increasingly shaped by material excess. The face – as the ultimate means of expression in this exploration – provides the perfect framework for her eclectic investigation of form and identity. A central element of her artistic approach is the embrace of incompleteness: given the tight time constraints, there is no room for excessive refinement or correction.
“Where something is not complete, it can continue. I like this optimism.” – Ruth Unger
www.instagram.com/ruth__unger/
Rozalina Busel: work in progress; Photo: Florian Schurz
Rozalina Busel, who studied art in Minsk and now lives in Warsaw, presents the installation “Borders and Restrictions. One more Brick”, developed during her residency at the Keramikkünstlerhaus. In this work, the artist powerfully conveys personal experiences. Her sculptures combine the forms of coffins and bricks, which she sees as symbols of both endings and new beginnings. Inspired by political events in Belarus and her own migration experience, Busel’s art explores the feeling of separation and the attempt to overcome physical and emotional barriers. AI-generated floral motifs, reminiscent of greeting cards, enhance the interplay of loss, memory, and new beginnings.
“For me, the coffin symbolizes not only death, but also the transition to a new life in another place.” – Rozalina Busel
www.instagram.com/rozalina_busel/
The exhibition will open on Thursday, April 24, at 6:00 PM with a performance by Ruth Unger, a brief introduction and an artist talk.
Openinghours: Friday, April 25 to Monday, April 28, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM each day.