Close to Earth

"Close to Earth" is a duo exhibition by Sibylle Eimermacher and Annegret Kellner. The artists met during their master studies in Groningen, and after their artistic developments followed their own paths, they now cross in the setting of this exhibition where organic and mineral matter, destructive and creative processes, seemingly inanimate and animate matter merge. Where plants become phantoms and stones begin to sing. The exhibition is the first in a series of collaborative exhibitions, wherein the artists explore the albedo, the reflective capacity of (white) surfaces, which plays a significant role in climatology. Inspired by the Daisyworld model of British scientist James Lovelock, which describes the mutual growth of black and white daisies, the reflection and absorption of sunlight on the hypothetical planet create a temperature equilibrium that sustains life-friendly conditions. In the setting of "Close to Earth" white leaves seem to slumber in a state of hibernation, a white flag waves to the sound of birdsong, while white alabaster stones hover on a trapeze and are activated to sing during a sound performance. The meditative tones of the lithophones create a soundscape for reflection on the reciprocal relationship between humans and the Earth. Annegret Kellner (*1979 Karl-Marx-Stadt/Chemnitz, DE), who resides in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, completed undergraduate studies at the Academie Minerva, Groningen (NL), the Academy of Fine Arts, Dresden (DE) and the Hunter College, New York. In 2005, she obtained her Masters of Fine Art (with Honours) from the Frank Mohr Institute in Groningen and she has since completed a Cultural Management degree and a University Teaching Qualification. Kellner is best known for her provocative and tragi-comic photographic and sculptural representations of tortured houseplants in a way that mirrors humans’ moral standards and ethical thinking. Sibylle Eimermacher (*1979 Münster, DE) holds a MFA from the Frank Mohr Institute in Groningen (NL) and a BFA from the AKI in Enschede (NL). Living in the Netherlands, she works in the fields of sculpture, photography, video, performance, sound and artist books. Rocks, stones, minerals and the metals extracted from the ore are the main point of departure in her work in order to reflect on the ambivalent relationship of man towards nature, by searching for ways on how to overcome the separation that we as humans created with the world around us, and reconnect with it.