Anna Oppermann's 'Ensembles' at Galerie Barbara Thumm

Galerie Barbara Thumm in Berlin presents a major historical work by German artist Anna Oppermann (1940–1993), titled 'Künstler sein (Zeichnen nach der Natur, zum Beispiel Lindenblüttenblätter)'. Begun in 1969, the piece was exhibited at the 1972 Paris Biennale and documenta 6 in 1977, evolving until its last presentation in 1985. Oppermann's 'ensembles' consist of small paper fragments with drawings, words, and thoughts arranged on a wooden altar with white cloth, photographed, and the print reintegrated into the installation. This process of documentation becoming part of the work creates a mise en abyme, expanding from a few square centimeters to engulf the entire space. Since the artist's death, former assistant Ute Vorkoeper reactivates and interprets the works site-specifically, as they are not finished objects but maintain a subtle relationship with the exhibition space. Oppermann's themes range from feminism to autism, friendship, the artist's role in society, sexuality, communication, and nature. The ensemble creates a three-dimensional mental space, a cartography linking the intimate and political, where detail and totality maintain a novel tension. Viewers experience both fascination and exclusion due to the fragility and monumental scale.