Unfolding Identity – The Art of Bettina Homann

Concept for an Exhibition by Lori Petchers

CURATIONAL STATEMENT

From figurative to abstraction, Berlin artist Bettina Homann begins her art with a movement inside her. She rarely starts with an intention of expressing something specific. In fact, she often tries to avoid any plan so as not to disturb the process. For Homann, the process is the real thing. Working in the spirit of the 1960s Process Artists, where process is more important than product, Homann’s collages are a result of “intuitive immersions” where she enters a state of creative flow and allows the works to emerge through her.
Drawing on two bodies of Homann’s work, Origami (2024) is shown in dialogue with her prior series, Unwell Women (2022). The uncanny resemblance between the paired collages, speaks to the singularity of the maker. This exhibition highlights Homann’s ability to distill her former art to its basic structure, effectively and seemingly unconsciously. Figurative becomes abstract, 3D becomes 2D as photographed folded paper and bodies are integrated into the images. When abstracting the body, artists often create visual metaphors that represent their own identity and their perceived place in society upon which social systems are enacted. The folding of the origamis embodies how women (and perhaps the artist, herself) must bend themselves to fit into the inflexible grid-like societal structures.
Although the feminine condition within the patriarchy is one theme which runs through her art, Homann is continually exploring and channeling new ideas, forms and methods. And the results are often are compelling poetic snapshots illuminating today’s contemporary issues.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Bettina Homann’s  first artistic expression was in writing. Born in Vienna, she studied literature and art history in Venice, Munich and Frankfurt. Inspired by the many doctors in her family, she later completed an additional degree in science journalism. Living in Berlin for the past 30 years, Bettina has worked for many years as an editor for the Berlin magazine Zitty. She also writes short stories and poetry. Since her work as a journalist and editor focuses on rational explorations of the world, she embraced collage as a way to free herself and play. Over the past decade she began to show her work, first to friends and then on the internet, but still worked in artistic solitude until she came upon Collage Magazine which opened her up to the global collage community. In 2023 she took part in a Collage Residency in Sanquhar, Scotland, hosted by Kolaj Institute and was a speaker at Kolaj Fest in New Orleans. In the same Bettina year founded Berlinage (www.berlinage.berlin) – the Berlin Collage Residency, that took place for the first time in May 2024.

ARTIST STATEMENT OF PRACTICE

Each of Bettina’s works begins with a movement inside her. She rarely starts with an intention of expressing something specific. In fact, she often tries avoid any intention so as not to disturb the process. For Bettina, the process is the real thing.
Bettina works mostly in analog, both in 2D and 3D, sometimes influenced by the environment around her. Some works are completed after one session, others are continued serially. She keeps collected materials like magazines and assorted papers and spreads them around, waiting for inspiration. Out of the flood of images, individual ones seem to detach themselves and condense into patterns and she puts them together. And without a clear plan, a collage emerges.
Unlike her journalism work, her art practice is unconstrained and her work is about “intuitive immersions”. The results are often are poetic snapshots that explore certain issues. The feminine condition and its existence within the patriarchal structure are themes which run through her art, but she is continually exploring and channeling new ideas.
In the words of Bettina, “Like the high priestess in the entrails of sacrificial animals, the village witch in coffee grounds, I am constantly on the trail of meaning that lies beyond my limited imagination.”

CRITICAL CONTEXT

In this exhibition Bettina Homann’s collage work moves between figurative and abstract art. The geometric forms of her more recent Origami pieces are intuitiveinterpretations of her earlier body of work, UnWell Women. Homann’s ability to distill her former works to their basic structure so effectively and seemingly effortlessly, is impressive. Many artists have taken their entire lives to abstract their earlier work, most notably Piet Mondrian’s path from his landscape art to his famous grids. Homann is building on this art tradition, be it in a much shorter career time. Her work with the figure reminds one of de Kooning as he continually reworked his Seated Woman from his 1940 version to his most famous one of 1952. Homann’s figurative collages in this curation echo the styles of many artists including Man Ray, Lorna Simpson, Martha Rosler… The abstracted ones, bring to mind the line and form pieces from Romanian artist, Geta Bratescu.

When abstracting the body, artists often create visual metaphors that represent their own identity and their perceived place in society upon which social systems are enacted. Corporal, as well as emotional conditions are often revealed through the work. Like many female artists, feminist themes fill Homann’s work. The female figure is often placed within the field of masculine grid architecture, seemingly representing women living within in the patriarchy. The folded origami work suggests how women must fold themselves to fit into society. 3D becomes 2D, as folded paper and bodies are integrated into the images. But yet, in both the figurative and abstract work, the figure maintains itself in space and does not get swallowed by the environment surrounding it.

Finally, process as being central to Homann’s practice, puts her comfortably into the 1960s artistic movement of Process Art, in which process not product is the principal focus. Her process is one of pure expression, which ultimately gives her the freedom to make compelling work which is uniquely her own.

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT

In describing her artist process Homann’s says “Ideally, I enter into an extremely gratifying flow, a state of heightened receptivity, attention and aliveness, in whichI experience myself as a medium through which works come into the world, which I then look at in amazement”. In psychology, this process, also known as a creative flow state, is a mental state of complete immersion in an activity. In the 1960s, concurrent with art movement coined Process Art, Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi investigated this process of flow. He found that artists in a flow state would persist in their work regardless of fatigue until project was completed. It’s characterized by a deep sense of focus and a loss of awareness of time and self. Numerous books have been written and many theories have been espoused about this artistic method. How much is unconscious? What is the psychology of creativity? Why do similar themes continually emerge within artwork? In the spirit Homann’s art practice, I propose for this exhibition, An Evening About Flow, a panel discussion open to the public, with a psychologist, neurologist and an art history professor in conversation with the artist, to address some of these questions around creativity, art history and collective unconsciousness.

PRESENTATION STRATEGY

One of the focal points of this exhibition is the concept of abstracting an image to its basic structure. I think the exhibition space should reflect that concept. Iideally would like the exhibit to take place in an unfinished loft space in Chelsea, New York City.
The viewer would enter the finished lobby of a chic gallery building, and take the streamlined elevator to an upper floor. The elevator door would open – revealing an unfinished loft. The viewer would enter this surprising exhibition space. The walls would be bare down to the studs and the floor unpolished concrete. Painted panels could fill the space, perhaps being hung from the ceiling and secured to the floor by wires, and the art (framed) would be shown in pairs attached to these panels. Currently there are 18 works, but this could be expanded. The size of the space, and organization of the panels will be determined by the number of pieces. Additionally, there will be a separate room, with black painted walls in which there will be a couch and a video (in the style of Art21) about Bettina Homann’s process.