Aion Art Gallery::::: WOVEN SPACES

Exhibition dates: August 5 – August 20, 2004

With Woven Spaces by Brazilian-European artist Marianne Stüve, AION art gallery continues it’s exploration into different dimensions of artistic expression. Although fine art can be, by artists as well as by the viewer, perceived and reduced to two dimensions, AION gave visitors the opportunity to experience art through their sense of touch with Art to Carry (on until July 31). Marianne Stüve’s meshwork of white on white woven nylon filaments gives the visitor a new perspective of space in a playful light.

Hanging off the gallery’s ceiling they dance gracefully through the room reaching out to the surrounding space with their delicate threading. Although each object exists separately, the eye cannot help following each line of it’s surface, combining it’s appearance to the neighbouring pieces. To walk amidst them gives the visitor a chance to experience a third dimension, visually enhanced by their play with light. With their sense of delicacy, they do not bear the earthbound heaviness that is often an integral characteristic of sculpture.

In addition to and complimenting her spatial objects, she also presents them as “painted” pictures, digitally recreated photographs by computer technology.

Born and raised in Germany, Marianne’s career started at the Escola de Arte ESPADE in São Paulo. After her return to Germany she founded PONTE CULTURA, a non-profit organization to promote the cultural exchange between Brazil, Germany and France. Today PONTE CULTURA counts more than 50 participating artists and a history of more than 10 years of intercultural projects that are documented online at http://www.pontecultura.de

There is a catalogue accompanying the show.

Guenther Braunsberg, Art historian from Nuremberg, Germany writes in this catalogue about the work:

"Bottles" usually occur, not as lone individuals, but as small social groups, which appear to communicate, not only with the viewer but, also among themselves. Their interplay and interaction reinforces an overall and individual property of versatility, steadfastness and straightforwardness.

These three qualities also describe the personality of Marianne Stüve - and are paired in a most distinctive way with forthrightness, organizational talent and the ability to prevail. Her path to a personal artistic identity was by no means pre-ordained. Originally trained as a foreign-language secretary in Italian and French, she later lived for many years in Brazil with her husband, who was based there professionally and her two sons. Brazil played a key role in Marianne Stüve's development. There, she got to know many highly communicative people. There, she studied art. There, she helped to establish Ponte Cultura, an institution whose Brazilian-European cultural exchange she now organizes. Even today, Marianne Stüve regards herself as a Brazilian-European artist. Communication is central to her activities. Her tool is the world-wide-web - her symbol, the woven spaces of her "Messages in a Bottle".

Link to the complete text by Guenther Braunsberg