Susanne Ring

Sculptor Susanne Ring has found her ideal medium of expression in ceramic figures. The clay reveals the sculptor's hand and, when soft, allows for rapid manipulation, qualities which readily lend themselves to her working method, incorporating both her artistic vision and the element of chance. Susanne Ring’s radical interaction with her material counteracts any clichéed notions of handcrafts.
The artist is fascinated by “bizarre...

Sculptor Susanne Ring has found her ideal medium of expression in ceramic figures. The clay reveals the sculptor's hand and, when soft, allows for rapid manipulation, qualities which readily lend themselves to her working method, incorporating both her artistic vision and the element of chance. Susanne Ring’s radical interaction with her material counteracts any clichéed notions of handcrafts.
The artist is fascinated by “bizarre weirdness” and her fantastical figurative worlds consist of seemingly archaic statues, recognisable by bodily cracks, incisions, deformations and amputations and by expressive faces. However, their small format and fragmented, unstable appearance render Susanne Ring’s figures devoid of menace, more akin to a band of friendly ghosts.
Starting from a basic idea, Susanne Ring's figures develop with no fixed plan: instead they gradually reveal themselves through a process of association. She mixes clay with materials such as wood, porcelain and even cement, eventually combining the figures with others into ensembles. This interplay of several objects is crucial for Susanne Ring, although she leaves their specific arrangement open, even leaving it in the hands of others, in order to introduce ever new levels of engagement and interpretation.
An important element of her work is the spatial experience of the figurative ensembles, which can usually be walked around or “paced”. In “Himmel und Hölle” (“Heaven and Hell”), the statues are combined with paintings and paper objects into one installation piece. The figure ensembles are an expression of human relationship constellations, of feelings, fears, memories, dreams and desires. The picture titles can give contextual clues, so for example, “Himmel und Hölle” deals with the themes of ageing and death.
Daniel Kerber