ANNA FASSHAUER
Marfa Invitational
April 4 – 7, 2019
Nino Mier Gallery is pleased to present new works by Berlin-based sculptor Anna Fasshauer, a result of her invitation to do an exclusive residency in Marfa, Texas organized by the Marfa Invitational. The Marfa Invitational opens with a VIP Vernissage on Thursday, April 4th and continues through to Sunday, April 7th.
This new series of sculptures have been fashioned by the artist from industrially produced aluminum beams sourced from El Paso. Fasshauer has often been likened to John Chamberlain and Franz West due to her engagement with crushed metal and industrial paint, but in reality, she is in an oppositional conversation with the male minimalists and maximalists of the 20th century. Fasshauer uses no heavy machinery, no fine art fabricators and no assistants, but rather only her own strength and body, and is aided only by simple tools for bending like vices, and a rivet gun to fasten the metal to itself. Fasshauer’s working method is limited and governed by her own strength, height and weight. Therefore, the works are a direct reflection to her own (female) body and evocative of Minimalist concerns of Gestalt Theory when approached. She takes the cold, stiff, industrial material and renders it fluid, malleable and relatable as human. Fasshauer also retains her sense of celebratory whimsy and humor, often assigning anthropological attributes and titles to her vibrantly colored forms. The artist uses car lacquer, either before or after the form is finished, making the works suitable for outdoors – an especially fitting aspect considering the setting of Marfa is so legendary for its Land Art.
Fasshauer has been shown at several institutions across Europe and the Middle East, most notably at the Kunstverein Reutlingen as part of a three person show with Michail Pirgelis & Rebecca Warren. A very special thank you to Michael Phelan and Kenneth Bauso for making this residency possible.