Katie Jayne Britchford

New Kids on the Block

Halle 50 Galerie – Städtisches Atelierhaus Am Domagkpark
Margarete-Schütte-Lihotzky-Str. 30, Munich, Germany

20. September – 29. September 2019

This multidisciplinary exhibition features selected works by artists who have recently joined the Domagk studios, providing an introduction to both visitors and their new artistic peers.

participating artists:
SANDRA BEJARANO / FELIX BURGER / XENIA FUMBAREV / JONAH GEBKA / JUDITH GRASSL / MARI IWAMOTO / JOSEF KÖSTLBACHER / FELIX KRUIS / JAN RYBNIČEK / MELANIE CHACKO / JULIA SMIRNOVA / MARCO STANKE / NERINGA VASILIAUSKAITE

Marco Stanke

Jonah Gebka
(photo by Julia Smirnova)

Felix Burger

Julia Smirnova
(photo by Julia Smirnova)

Judith Grassl

Performance by Sandra Bejarano

Josef Köstlbacher

Felix Kruis

Melanie Chacko

Mari Iwamoto (foreground) – Xenia Fumbarev (background)

Jan Rybniček

Neringa Vasiliauskaite

Idar-Oberstein

photo project from 2012 to 2017

Idar-Oberstein, Germany.
A forgotten city of sparkly gemstones and perfectly polished door handles.

Where all your stoney dreams can come true!

all photos by Katie Jayne Britchford ©

Winterschlaf (Hibernation)

photo project – 2018 – ongoing

Winterschlaf—the time when Munich’s public art and fountains are in hibernation!

Wooden Covers: Each one uniquely designed to protect its fountain or sculpture during the harsh winter months. Intriguing in their dual quest to both conceal and reveal something.
A bit funny, and strange, too.
An eyesore?

The city of Munich is one of the few places in Germany that builds such elaborate wooden constructions to shelter its public art and fountains throughout the long winter. For most locals, these covers have become almost invisible—just a regular part of city life. But for me, as a newcomer, I couldn’t help but notice them scattered throughout the city. They’ve almost become sculptures in their own right—another type of statue or art piece—leaving me curious about what lies beneath these oddly shaped structures.

all photos by Katie Jayne Britchford ©

if i were you what would you do

Exhibition by Katie Jayne Britchford and Thomas Silberhorn

Galerie 21___im Künstlerhaus Vorwerk-Stift,
Vorwerkstraße 21
Hamburg, Germany

26. April – 28. April 2019

For this exhibition, both artists have created individual works as well as collaborative projects. Katie often explores materials as both illusion and substance, while Thomas creates kinetic sculptures that transform everyday objects and memories. In If I Were You, What Would You Do?, Katie and Thomas combine their humorous and ironic approaches in a unique, multi-disciplinary installation.

thomas-silberhorn.com

HELLO
BYE BYE

‘sea-sick’ 2019, bottles of liquor, wood, paint, motor

‘live fast, die young’ 2019, rubber, wood, dried grass

‘wafers (#1-5)’ 2019, wafer sheets, paint

‘up-close-dining’ 2019, projection and sound installation
(collaboration between Katie and Thomas)

‘Domestic bliss’ 2019, wood, paint, Carrara marble, resin, vinyl, plastic, metal, sponge, shower curtain, concrete, spot lights

Conversations with David

Domagk Ateliers open studio weekend

Städtisches Atelierhaus Am Domagkpark
Margarete-Schütte-Lihotzky-Str. 30
Munich, Germany

8. – 10. June 2018

The Statue of David, once revered as a masterpiece of human achievement, is now often reduced to a kitschy, mass-produced object, stripped of its original context and meaning. Through this installation, I play with the tension between the statue’s historical significance and its status as a tourist souvenir, inviting the viewer to reflect on how we consume culture and art in today’s world.

Marble, as a material, has long been revered in society for its association with timeless beauty and artistic perfection. Historically, it has been the medium of choice for classical sculptures, representing both durability and elegance. However, in this exhibition, I mix and play with marble-like materials that aren’t truly marble, thus questioning the reverence placed on this stone. The use of “fake” marble invites a reflection on how we, as a society, value and elevate certain materials based on their perceived rarity and history, while ignoring the value of the modern, the mass-produced, and the imitative.

By using both the statue and these materials in a playful and satirical manner, I aim to provoke a conversation about the commercialization of art, the fleeting nature of admiration, and the human tendency to trivialize what was once sacred. In doing so, I question how we engage with our shared heritage and whether we truly appreciate it or simply collect it for the sake of ownership.

Mixed media. Four Seasons by Vivaldi

Alles in Ordnung?

Graduate Master exhibition

Otto-Decker-Straße 2
Idar-Oberstein, Germany

7. – 20. July 2017

Nothing is as it seems. Nothing is where it should be. Is everything okay? It’s like a post-human “paradise,” where only stone remains alongside the traces of human activity, manufacture, and moments of human relaxation by the pool. A dialogue—or perhaps a dance—between nature and culture, real and unreal, fast and slow, hard and soft, old and new. Each object holds an intention, a reason for being there… or does it?

Is a cast plastic pineapple, spray-painted silver, made in a factory in China, and purchased from a shop in Germany, still a pineapple? What does this pineapple represent? A type of paradise? A fleeting glimpse or moment? An escape from everyday life, encapsulated in the pure meaning of the object—sitting there on someone’s dining table? “Sail away with me to a better place!” A promise, perhaps.

Our culture, shaped by the re-appropriation of objects, is deeply rooted in a capitalist ideology that encourages us to believe that “alles in Ordnung”—everything is fine.

Assemblage – the order of things, 2017

photo series and magic eye

matter

/ˈmatə/

physical substance in general, as distinct from mind and spirit; (in physics) that which occupies space and possesses rest mass, especially as distinct from energy.
“the structure and properties of matter”

materials:
hand-carved pink marble, plastic, foam, photos in DM, 2017

The juxtaposition of man-made plastic and natural stone creates an apparent dichotomy; however, both materials endure the test of time. For me, the ever-growing abundance of cleaning and beauty products marketed to women is both absurd in its function and its perceived necessity. To immortalize these objects in stone is to render them useless, making a statement about our culture’s pressure on women to ‘need’ such items. This highlights the strange and ever-widening divide between ourselves and the natural world.

Bringing together the pure matter of materials—stone and plastic—invites a reflection on our existence as creators of things. What will the artefacts of our time say about us? What will be the objects displayed in the museums of our future?