Christiane Löhr's 'Raum sein' Transforms Base/Progetti per l'arte in Florence

Christiane Löhr (Wiesbaden, 1965), a German artist long resident in Italy, presents 'Raum sein' (being space) at Base/Progetti per l'arte in Florence, an independent initiative founded in 1998 by a network of artists 'for other artists' and coordinated since 2000 by curator Lorenzo Bruni. The exhibition intervenes in the space's intrinsic characteristics, giving it new life with the artist's characteristic powerful delicacy. A street-facing window display features an environmental installation of taut horsehair strung between walls and ceiling, cutting, zigzagging, and deconstructing the niche. In the adjacent room, a section of a beehive-like form hangs from the ceiling—actually an explosion of seeds in a semi-spherical, almost liquid shape—countered by a small rug on the right wall woven from discarded cat hair, with more seeds peeking out. Löhr's work evokes an imaginary landscape that floats in impalpable surreality, emerging from the liquid absence of the white cube. She describes her practice as 'completely radical,' stating, 'If you put four blades of grass in a room, it's a radical and risky proposal. I'm entering a situation that could end in total failure. It's not about the romantic aspect of nature. It's about fighting to establish a presence and conquer a space. It's about vulnerability. It's about a very small scale. It's about creating stability from that fragility with very few means.' The article is written by Santa Nastro, vice director of Artribune.