Priska von Martin

Snaking, dancing, embracing, almost plant-like, the amorphous shapes of this small-format bronze, reminiscent of arms, ascend from a plinth into the surrounding space. They weave towards each other and separate again, an indeterminate game with an uncertain outcome. The rough, almost raw quality of the unfinished bronze reinforces the impression of spontaneous movement. Priska von Martin (1912–1982) titled the sculpture Ursprung (Source) and represents an impressive example of her examination of the material itself and the rhythm of form that develops in the process of making, which one can practise “like a ballet dancer”. For Priska von Martin, “the result of practising whereby nothing is intended at all” was the essence of her quest. Accordingly, she stresses a creative process that is strongly attached to the gesture of practising in the sense of a gradual emergence, of development out of the act of doing, without striving for a pre-determined, defined form.