Hoppenberg Irene

Born and raised in Emmental, Swiss artist Karin Hofer studied sculpture at the Edith Maryon School of Art in Freiburg im Breisgau. Karin Hofer's sculptures, created from one piece in the powerful, raw style of the chainsaw though underpinned by humour and irony, also raise serious questions. At Bad Ragartz, the Zurich-based artist is represented with the series of works "Love, Responsibility and Future", among others. The core themes of the series of works on display are man and the earth. In this context, the human figure always appears in direct relation to the globe. While the small, stocky "earth holders" are barely able to lift the globe, a man and a woman elsewhere enjoy the "lovely view" that the blue planet offers them. For once, it is not a man but a woman who appears as the mythological motif of the Titan "Atlas", who - or rather she - supports the celestial vault at the westernmost point of the world. The once intact relationship between man and nature, estranged in the course of history, manifests itself in Hofer's series of works in the sculpture "Kiss the world", which symbolises the inner child that has an intimate and still uninhibited relationship with nature. The cycle of works is concluded by a figure that, under great pressure and with deep humility, carries the globe on its back without collapsing under the enormous weight. And so it is this enormous pressure that is intended to rouse people and make them look at the past and present with humility. At the same time, however, they should be encouraged to take responsibility in order to actively shape the future in a more loving and perhaps somewhat more optimistic way.

Quote

«My sculptures develop from within, not from my head, stemming from an inner longing. Only when my mind is calm and I am empty inside can the essentials rise to the surface. That's why my art is meditation, even with a chainsaw.»