Moments of transformation, shifts between forms of being and ambiguity form the thematic framework for this two-person exhibition by Caroline Achaintre and Raphael Sbrzesny. The Cast brings together multifaceted characters rich in associations that not only question our embeddedness in the world but transcend reality at the same time in highly imaginative ways. Hybrid beings and forms populate Caroline Achaintre’s sensual tapestries, ceramics, and watercolors. In playing with our longing for identification, the seemingly animate objects evoke various associations. Central to Raphael Sbrzesny’s work is the question of how stories are inscribed in the body. The artist creates wearable sculptures that can be activated as instruments in performances, enabling an exploration of the body, social roles, and societal issues through music. Although the artists employ different approaches and contrasting materials such as steel and wool, they share a focus on the body, identity, and performativity. Moreover, their fascination with carnival rituals and the temporary, extraordinary states they evoke serve as a unifying element.
Caroline Achaintre (b. 1969 Toulouse, lives and works in London and Halle) initially trained as a metalsmith before studying fine art at the BURG Giebichenstein in Halle and in London at Chelsea College of Art and Goldsmiths College. Selected solo exhibitions of the artist have been presented at: VISUAL, Carlow, Ireland; Neues Museum, Nuremberg; Kunsthaus Centre d’art Pasquart, Biel; CAPC musée d’art contemporain, Bordeaux; MO.CO Montpellier Contemporain; Belvedere 21, Vienna; and Tate Britain, London. Her works have also been shown in group exhibitions at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Kunsthalle Basel; and the Baltic Triennale. Caroline Achaintre has held a professorship for textile art at the BURG Giebichenstein since 2019.
Raphael Sbrzesny (b. 1985 in Oberndorf a. N., lives and works in Berlin) studied fine art, sculpture, new music, classical percussion, experimental music theater and theory in Stuttgart, Munich, Bern, and Paris. Raphael Sbrzesny’s works have been presented nationally and internationally in renowned institutions including the Maxim Gorki Theater, Berlin; Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart; Staatliche Kunsthalle, Baden-Baden; Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe; HAUS DER KUNST, Munich; ECLAT Festival New Music, Stuttgart; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf; and Haus am Waldsee, Berlin. From 2018 to 2023 he was Professor for Creation and Interpretation with a focus on sound, performance, and concept at the Bremen University of the Arts. What Remained of the Second Body, a comprehensive publication on Sbrzesny’s work, was published in 2024 by Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, Cologne.
The exhibition is generously supported by VR-Stiftung der Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken in Norddeutschland, Volksbank eG Oldenburg-Land Delmenhorst, Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, Oldenburgische Landschaft and Karin und Uwe Hollweg Stiftung.
