Lore Bert Visions of Beauty

In addition to the large-format relief-objects made from thousands of fine crumpled squares of Japanese paper, for which Lore Bert is known and famous all over the world, there are numerous other groups of works in the multifaceted oeuvre of the always creative and hard-working Mainz artist. This week, we take a look at Lore Bert’s studio in Mainz and her Transparents.

For these works, the artist folds two sheets of the delicate Japanese paper she loves so much evenly vertically and horizontally to create a grid. Ewelina Niedzielska, Lore Bert’s knowledgeable assistant, then fills the resulting squares of the congruently overlapping sheets with carefully cut square pieces of absorbent cotton in detailed and precise manual work, while the upper and lower sheets of Japanese paper are glued together along the folded lines.

The result is a surface of small, cotton-filled cushions that elevate the soft and elegant appearance of the Japanese paper into the third dimension through the curvature of the cushion shape. Lore Bert decorates the surface of this artfully shaped amalgam either with the familiar elements of her own formal language or with writing.

Some of the particularly well-known transparents, for example, show quotes from poets and thinkers who have particularly influenced the artist, such as Immanuel Kant or Rainer Maria Rilke.

In our video of the week, art historian and gallerist Dr. Dorothea van der Koelen takes viewers on a visit to the studio of the still highly productive Mainz-based artist. There she is currently working on the new Lore Bert multiple. It bears the title Beauty – in keeping with this year’s major exhibition to mark the 45th anniversary of Galerie Dr. Dorothea van der Koelen – and is being produced in an edition of 24 copies. All details – such as the attractive subscription price – can be found on the order form.

On the basis of this new work, the gallerist, in the presence of the artist, explains the process of creating the transparents, which renowned exhibition venues around the world have been presenting to the fascinated art public for decades.