Art residency in Dresden Germany
I spent the autumn of 2016 in Dresden Germany on an art residency, producing work at GEH8 art studios, and spending copious afternoons at the Museums looking at art and walking though the old and new towns of this historic city.
View of my studio at GEH8, Dresden, Germany.
Dresden sits along the Elbe River, and in a strategically ideal location between the cities of Berlin and Prague. The city nowadays, from an outsider’s perspective, is known for the Allied fire-bombing raid that destroyed most of the center of Innere Altstadt. I think what attracted me to the city is that in one of the most dramatic large scale projects, the Altstadt or Old Town center, has been rebuilt. Quite often in my work, I think about themes of repair and conservation. Back at my studio, I was asking myself :why rebuild and to what point in time and history? The subsequent paintings on the breakdown of materials and substrate is what followed.
Overall, an artist residency is the ideal place to reflect and learn about one’s own work. At the same time, meeting fellow artists at GEH8 studios and traveling and seeing sights such as the Elbe River and the Green Vault’s immaculate art objects brought a sense of wonder. In a setting as rich as Dresden, it’s hard not to feel inspired.
