Guest Residency 2016: Erdmute Prautzsch
The artist studied at the Fachhochschule Hamburg - FB Gestaltung until 1999 and has been working as a freelance artist ever since. In 2001/2002 she received a one-year scholarship from the state of Schleswig-Holstein
at the Künstlerhaus Lauenburg/Elbe. In 2013, she was awarded the German Installation Art Prize at the 6th Höhler Biennale Gera as well as the 1st Prize for Art in Construction, New Building Federal Ministry of
Education and Research, Berlin office (executed in 2014).
She reported on her guest residency here at Künstler:innenhaus Bremen as follows:
“I came to Bremen from Hamburg for five weeks, invited to stay at the Künstler:innenhaus Bremen. So it wasn’t a long journey; I only knew Bremen a little from short visits and my exhibition “Homezone” at Galerie Herold in 2011. In my luggage: no concrete project, but a handful of ideas, an “emergency suitcase” of material - but above all a desire to be far away from the everyday, to get to know new things and to see what happens on site as a small experiment. The scholarship gave me the opportunity to do this in a very informal way. Simplify Your Life: A studio apartment with lots of free space in a central location, a bicycle with only one gear, plus an allowance - I was able to explore Bremen extensively and take in the surroundings with freedom and openness. I was able to incorporate this directly into my work, in which an examination of the immediate surroundings always plays a central role. I created a number of works that thematized time itself and the Bremen environment. Drawing machines installed in the studio gave me time for further explorations. Discoveries made there (unknown even to some people from Bremen) resulted in expanding connotations to previously existing works in words, photos and collages. I was able to present this very appropriately during my stay at the Open Studios / House Visit 2016 and thus also get to know the Künstler:innenhaus even better. Overall, I was impressed by the organization of the house and the commitment; I don’t know of any comparable institution in Hamburg. The open computer workshop was also great and I was able to make good use of it. So it’s also possible to think outside the box and find inspiration nearby. Thank you very much for this, keep it up - and I’ll be back!”