Station: [22] Susanne Kessler: „Europe“ (2018)

A conglomerate of netting, wires and plastic spreads out in front of us. Is it junk one can find on any beaches in Europe? In fact, when we take a closer look at the seemingly formless structure, the outlines of a map of Europe become apparent. Geographical accuracy, however, was not a primary concern of the artist. Susanne Kessler experiments with lines in three-dimensional space. Here she uses wire to draw forms which are at once familiar and   abstract, inviting individual interpretations.

In my view, the complex superimpositions of silhouettes and materials represent the political and cultural interconnections within Europe. In the east lies a large roll of the wire the artist used to mould the countries. So, transformation and development are to be expected: can the European Union grow? Is the netting linking the countries the basis for common action? Absorbed in thought in the tangle of the artwork, I notice that Great Britain and Ireland are detached from the wire and drifting off. How stable are the structures we take for granted really? What do you think, dear visitors? What do you notice when you go on a journey of discovery in this map of Europe?

Susanne Kessler started working on “Europe” in Italy and completed the installation in order to present it on Föhr, making this artwork a great example of transnational and transcultural artistic production. Not only we here at the MKdW, but also the people at the Council of Europe appreciate this particular quality of Susanne Kessler’s works. The installation you see in front you falls under the theme of “Roots and Borders”, which will be the subject of a fascinating exhibition planned at the Council of Europe in 2021.