AMARILLO PÚRPURA - Art Palma Brunch 2023
25.03 –– 26.05 2023

Galería Fermay is pleased to present Amarillo Púrpura, a solo exhibition by Elisa Braem (Ostend, 1991)

Elisa Braem is a sculptor that primarily works with ceramics. The artist finds in the sedimentary nature of the clay a beautiful analogy that takes her to space-time notions as well as it allows to explore ideas related to the history of cultures. The use of such an organic material with such a great amount of traceability enables her to incorporate concepts that relate to sustainability and the impact of human activities in the environment.

The artist approaches ceramics from a conceptual perspective by which she combines the technical possibilities the medium with a poetic almost anthropological dimension. This exhibition also includes works made on metal which constitutes a move forward in her exploration of the artistic qualities of different materials. Through her work Braem negotiates artistically the reality that surrounds her and investigates questions that point to her fascination for human relations with the environment.

Amarillo Púrpura takes as a starting point the always complex and ever changing relation between human beings and nature —from the ancestral need of societies to humanise nature through the invention of myths and religions until the domestication of plants and animals. While humanity grew and developed in harmony with the environment, the industrial revolutions and the technological developments that happened from the 17th century onwards meant an unprecedented technological advance that took societies to fantasise with the idea of living with their backs to nature. Nowadays, however, with the modern project exhausted and an evident environmental damage caused by human activity, we find ourselves in a crucial moment that requires a change toward structures that promote diversity and sustainability.

More specifically, this exhibition takes its inspiration from the natural world; the plants, the flowers, and in its most refined expression, the gardens. The history of the garden is intimately related to the history of humanity —from its historical remains historians and archeologists extract information about ancient civilisations to understand their level of cultural, economic and politic sophistication. The garden is with no doubt a repository of privileged information that talk to about the capacity of societies to manage natural resources such as water through mathematics and engineering, and of course it refers to the knowledge of botanics. Gardens are also spaces where ideas about spirituality, religiosity and philosophy have sprung; public or private spaces dedicated to contemplation or leisure with a profound sense of aesthetics.

In this line, there is a clear scenographic element that accompanies us all through the exhibition; a desire that responds to the artist’s wish to imagine a form of garden in which her sculptures echo from the distance. Like a garden, the elements that conform this presentation function as a unit as well as it keeps their own idiosyncrasy.

Elisa Braem proposes a series of sculptures that, while we can recognise certain attributes such as stems or petals, there are also revealed to us as paradoxical constructions. The result are indeed autonomous forms that follow their own internal logic which is preceded by a process of reflexion when it comes to matter, technique and concept. In this case, the abstract language is mixed with figurative elements that result in a very fertile realm for plastic experimentation as well as it stimulates the imagination of the beholder. The artist is interested in what is almost imperceptible —a flash of light or the stealthy movement of the plants following diurnal cicles.

Elisa Braem (Ostend, 1991) graduated and took a MA in Sculpture at theRoyal Academy of Art and Design en Amberes, Belgium (2015-2016). In 2016 also took MA Cultural Theory, Anthropology, Goldsmith, University of London. (U.K) 2016. In May 2023 she will take a residency programme at Cerámicas Suro en Guadalajara, México. In 2021 she was at Guldagergaard. International ceramic research center (Denmark) and Hangar Lisboa (Portugal) 2019. Internacional Ceramic Bienal, museum of Manises, Valencia (Spain) 2019- 2020. Exhibitions include: TACA. solo exhibition. Mallorca (Spain) 2022, Terreny, group exhibition curated by Cristina Ramos. Mallorca (Spain) 2021, Hit Me On The Head I Got Ohh! private showcase curated by Antoni Ferrer. Palma (Spain) 2021

This exhibition is kindly supported by Consell de Mallorca (Direcció Insular de Cultura).