At documenta 8 in Kassel, the artist, who was largely unknown at the time, surprised visitors with a sensually appealing installation: alongside blocks of limestone, granite, white and black paraffin, a stele covered with bull hide and another covered with down feathers, milk and red wine were piled up in a glass cube in front of the viewer. Natural materials, foodstuffs and stuffed animals have since become important components of Gloria Friedmann’s paintings, sculptures and installations. Combined with industrially manufactured products, however, they are far more than mere representations or imitations of nature.

Gloria Friedmann often confronts nature and civilisation in an extremely provocative manner, making it clear in her works how far apart they have become. Nature and creatures are just as torn from their original context of life as humans are. A stuffed, roaring stag on a pedestal made of compressed waste paper (‘Sonderbeauftragter’, 1995) stands as a monument to what remains of the mythologically charged image of the forest.

In her most recent works, Gloria Friedmann examines the role of public figures. Based on photos from the press, which are countered with everyday objects, she raises questions about their real and symbolic function.And in the series ‘Stellvertreter’ (Deputies), it becomes clear how images of everyday life and art have become substitutes for reality.

Curator: Andrea Hofmann