ANGELA GLAJCAR | Paper is for Eternity
Angela Glajcar, born in 1970 in Mainz, Germany is internationally renowned for her three-dimensional paper sculptures and installations. Her use of layering creates a dialogue and engagement between opposites; material and immaterial, flexibility and strength.
The power of juxtaposition intrinsic in Glajcar’s work is a central theme in her latest installation ‘Papier is für die Ewigkeit’, (Paper is for the Eternal), commissioned by the notorious Gutenberg-Museum in Mainz. Indeed, created within a contest of negative and positives typical of her style, this artwork goes beyond the usual intrinsic contrapositions as its meaning needs to be observed in relation to its surrounding environment. The venue, which takes the name of the inventor of printing from moveable metal stamps in Western Europe, Johannes Gutenberg, is home to one of the biggest collections of international printing equipment, papers and examples of printed materials.
In a place where paper is traditionally analysed for its quality as a printing support, Glajcar is able to break free from convention opting to expose the material’s fragility, perishability, transparency and lightness through which she creates a new architectural space. Under a formalism point of view, the artist highlights the medium for its physically aesthetic appeal, giving the medium a noble significance and grace.
As the exhibition title suggests, Glajcar not only re-invents the artistic potential of paper, but also predicts its ability to survival in a digital era where the traditional print system and paper are endangered.
‘Papier is für die Ewigkeit’ was installed the 27th of November and will be displayed at the Gutenberg Museum until 24 April 2016.
