Birgit Werres can do magic

She manages to transform a simple wire into a sweeping line in space, to unite a ball of tension belts in the dynamic and complex interplay of forms, colors and textures of a cotton net. Playful and austere, her works unfold a dynamic in the space, which may be described by the fullness of movement of the Baroque just as much as by a minimalist decision that seeks to dispense with everything unnecessary and trusts in the potential of the material. Since the 1990s, the artist has been roaming the streets, construc­tion sites, industrial wastelands, factories and production facilities in search of ­materials for her sculp­- tures and wall objects. In the past, these facilities were still an El Dorado for the procurement of ­materials. Today, in times of recycling, they some­times resemble high-security precincts, as the ­artist recently remarked in conversation. She herself practices recycling of an entirely different kind: Metals, plastics, containers, wire and »stuff«, all of this finds its way into her work in the studio. These are telling relics from production, remnants that bear traces of use, minimalist as well as beautiful, that Birgit Werres assembles into objects in space. All of it carries a story within itself and ­becomes an object that assumes a new position.

Exhibition:
Lokremise St. Gallen, 5/2 – 7/8/2022