The installation—a human figure leaning forward, held by a large latex tube which pulls the body backwards—continues a series of works in which Lucie Sahner reflects upon the transformations in which our bodies take part. A central material component in this series of works is latex: A substance of organic origin, obtained from trees by cutting their bark, it is processed into a variety of forms which serve human needs. Such transformations of physical matter of non-human origin are what sustain human life. But despite our absolute dependence on a global-scale metabolism, into which we feed every available material, our thinking and feeling still tends to confine itself to borders between self and other. This way, we feel as though we’re able to hold on to ourselves, to preserve a relatively constant form amidst the all-consuming transformations, and all that upholds us stays external. Still, what we draw from also pulls on us. (Text: Moritz Klein)
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Biography: Lucie Sahner completed her fine art studies as a Meisterschülerin with Prof. Gabriele Langendorf at Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saarbrücken. She then completed a master’s degree at the Dirty Art Department of Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam.
Lucie Sahner’s artistic work addresses the human body: What is a body? What differentiates it from others? What forces act on it? A sociological perspective of her approach examines the inscription of the environment on the body. Another focus of her practice is the material, as evidenced by experiments in wax and gelatin.
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Side notes current interest/research: Lucie Sahner’s current interest is latex; In the last two years, Sahner has extensively researched this material and its material-political aspects (for instance, cultivation, harvesting, history, global western use versus origin). Also, she experimented with the material itself.