Masquerades and metamorphoses
The Hamburg-based artist Mariella Mosler (*1962) is renowned for her idiosyncratic approach to materials and exhibition spaces; in 1997 she attracted attention at the Documenta X with an intricate sand floor sculpture.
Mosler’s precise arrangements made of sand, mirrors, hair or wine gums – which often fill the entire space – subtly challenge the viewer’s accustomed way of seeing and thinking.
In the Ernst Barlach Haus, her interest in discovering the unfamiliar within the familiar and in the parallels between high- and popular culture has been given the name of an artificial language: Volapük. Thus entitled, Mosler’s works – including a new series called Masken Masken (Masks) – enter into an exciting dialogue with the museum and its collection.
This dialogue is to be continued with other striking contemporary art positions