Whenever the label expressionist is used to describe an artist’s work, it could be understood with a certain amount of irony. What would the opposite of expressionism be for an artist? Artworks that express nothing? …and yes if so, that would be decoration.

When we choose participants in our residency program we try to not make to much of a judgment on the artistic quality of the applicant, it would, as we see it, be all too difficult to make such conclusions based on a mail, a website or sent images which is the most common way we receive stuff. Instead we focus on the sincerity of the applications, does this seam as a person that would appreciate to stay here, is there a plan for the time staying here, what is the objective for the stay?

That might be why the majority of the applicants that stayed at BRUNAKRA has been artists not working with objects, but rather with concepts, which mostly taken form in installations or performances. In this perspective Hildegard is an exception, her work is physically present and clearly expressive already when seen in an image. In one way she reminds us of the Wild Art from Berlin’s and New York’s eighties but foremost this expressions reached out to us instantly as we received Hildegards application. We’re very glad to welcome Hildegard as resident in April/May 2017.

Hildegard’s Artist Statement

MY WORKS COME ABOUT IN AN OPEN-END WORK PROCESS.

They are improvisations. I combine elements which normally do not belong together and rework them until they become a compatible whole.

They develop intuitively and are drawn from personal experience. Errors and accidents are an inherent part of the work process and open up other avenues of exploration. Everything is in motion, nothing is fixed. Each work represents a single illustration and can lead to other examples.
Paper is the primary material but other materials can be used in combination.

Amorphous bodies form the basis for shaping three-dimensional forms. By adding small details they undergo a metamorphosis which can be poetic, magical, witty or even disturbing, producing unexpected insights.

My works comprise both figurative and abstract pieces which act reciprocally and are co-determining. The figures can be viewed as characters in an imaginary play. Together with abstract elements and drawings, they act as an ensemble on stage creating their own scenes and tableaus. This interaction becomes improvisation itself.

More info is found on Hildegards own website http://www.hildegardskowasch.de

Hildegard Skowasch residency at BRUNAKRA is supported by:

 

 

We’re happy to welcome Jacinta Yelland and Ethan Mentzer for our resident program during spring 2017.

Jacinta and Ethan are both hunters and collectors, in their separate lines of work. Jacinta through theater, by exploring the foundations of community building, versus an ‘every man for himself’ mentality that persists in todays society. Drawn to explore the medium in hopes of finding ground for 1. dialogue, 2. acceptance 3. positive social change.

Ethan explores and experiment with Found Music digging into the opportunities of sampling and looping pioneered by the hip-hop genre, Ethan records or sample “found sounds” and reconstructs them into sonic collages or in other words, musical compositions.

Jacinta is an Australian actor and theatre creator. She graduated from Queensland University of Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Industries majoring in Drama and completed her final year at the University of Leeds, England. She has travelled across Australia and the world to train and perform with renowned theatre practitioners and companies including Philippe Gaulier, Sankai Juku, John Gilkey, Steph Kehoe, Pig Iron Physical Theatre Company, RealTV, Upright Citizens Brigade and Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre Company.

Ethan has been making music all of his life. He is a musician, composer, songwriter, producer and sound engineer. He graduated with honors from Berklee College Of Music with a Bachelor of Music majoring in Music Production and Engineering.

Ethan views his role as a musician in the studio as part artist (creating from the soul or the unknown), part craftsman (honing skills, practice and knowledge) and part scientist (performing controlled experiments using sonic waves to create or manipulate emotion in the human body or psyche).