„I saw this exhibition at the Amber Museum in Gdańsk in the summer of this year, and I greatly liked both the works themselves and the unusual circumstances of its creation. I was moved by the story of Wim Vanderkerckhove, who became fascinated by amber 30 years ago and for whom this exhibition is a dream come true. On the other hand, the idea of entrusting amber to the hands of artists, most of whom had no previous contact with it, I consider brilliant, especially since truly extraordinary works were created,” explained Ulf Erichson, director of the Amber Museum in Ribnitz-Damgarten.
This is precisely one of the factors that makes this exhibition truly unique: the works presented in it are, in most cases, the surprising result of the invited artist's first encounter with Baltic amber – all so that the creators could look at this stone with an „uncontaminated” eye and be inspired by it. „The vast majority of these works are genuinely very good. Our objective has been achieved: new creations and ideas have been born, but a new artistic sensibility has also come to the fore,” summarised Vim Vanderkerckhove, who, alongside Prof. Sławomir Fijałkowski from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, is the co-creator of the exhibition.
Unusual, because they are the first ones featuring amber, the works were created by the invited artists: Sławomir Fijałkowski, Christiane Förster, Karl Fritsch, Sophie Hanagarth, Herman Hermsen, Daniel Kruger, Stefano Marchetti, Wilhelm Tasso Mattar, Pavel Opocensky, Annelies Planteijdt, Ramon Puig Cuyas, Wolfgang Rahs, Ulrich Reithofer, Philip Sajet, Adolfas Saulys, Gisbert Stach, Manuel Vilhena, Arek Wolski and Petra Zimmermann. They were inspired by myths and legends about amber, as well as associations with Gdańsk and Poland.
The exhibition „Petrified Tears” has previously been shown in Legnica and Gdańsk. In Ribnitz-Damgarten, it will open on the 20th anniversary of the first amber art competition organised by the German Amber Museum – the 3rd edition of the International Baltic Sea Countries Amber Art Competition took place this year, and the works could be viewed until the end of October. „Following the competition exhibition, this is another opportunity for us to present contemporary amber art,” said Ulf Erichson. It will be accompanied by a catalogue in German and English.
Exhibition Fossilised tears (Frozen tears
Amber Museum in Ribnitz-Damgarten (Germany)
in cooperation with the Villa de Bondt gallery in Ghent and the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk
26.11.13 – 26.02.2014