- Visual Art
- Interdisciplinary Project
- Other
Dead serious
Sundara Ziegler & Esmée Willemsen
27 June 2025 19:00–23:59
28 June 2025 17:00–22:00
In response to the theme “What the Fake?”, we propose an exhibition of sculptures and objects that toy with perceptions of authenticity and illusion. Drawing on Susan Sontag’s concept of camp, we embrace the unnatural and the simultaneously dead serious—a sensibility that is both sincere and knowingly artificial, a form of truth-telling, a tone that guides both the aesthetic and conceptual framework of the work.
Our practice explores the boundaries between what is real and what is masked, inviting viewers to question the nature of materials and the processes behind each piece. As collaborators—an artist and an industrial designer—we bring distinct but converging approaches. Our shared practice in foundry metal casting grounds us in an ancient tradition of transformation, where the ephemeral becomes enduring.
In these processes, familiar materials transcend their origins, taking on new identities that both reveal and disguise their essence. This spirit of transformation—playful in its mimicry yet sincere in its execution—is central to the work.
Through this project, we aim to engage audiences in a tactile, visual dialogue about material authenticity and the artifice of form. Our works blur the lines between the real and the illusory, honoring both the craft and the curiosity that drive our creative practices.
Our practice explores the boundaries between what is real and what is masked, inviting viewers to question the nature of materials and the processes behind each piece. As collaborators—an artist and an industrial designer—we bring distinct but converging approaches. Our shared practice in foundry metal casting grounds us in an ancient tradition of transformation, where the ephemeral becomes enduring.
In these processes, familiar materials transcend their origins, taking on new identities that both reveal and disguise their essence. This spirit of transformation—playful in its mimicry yet sincere in its execution—is central to the work.
Through this project, we aim to engage audiences in a tactile, visual dialogue about material authenticity and the artifice of form. Our works blur the lines between the real and the illusory, honoring both the craft and the curiosity that drive our creative practices.
Biography
Sundara Ziegler & Esmée Willemsen
Sundara Ziegler was born in Santa Cruz, California, and now lives and works as an artist in Berlin. After graduating from Bennington College in 2018, she has focused on ceramic sculpture, social practice, and painting. In her artistic work, she explores themes such as repetition, memory, and materiality, with an emphasis on the creative process.
Esmee Willemsen is a designer from the Netherlands and a master's student at the UdK Berlin. She combines craftsmanship and innovation — for example, a 3D-printed coffin made from wood chips or curtains that cool rooms instead of using air conditioning. Her works have been exhibited at the Vitra Design Museum, among others. She won 1st prize at Designblok Prague and has been nominated for the German Design Newcomer Award 2025.
Esmee Willemsen is a designer from the Netherlands and a master's student at the UdK Berlin. She combines craftsmanship and innovation — for example, a 3D-printed coffin made from wood chips or curtains that cool rooms instead of using air conditioning. Her works have been exhibited at the Vitra Design Museum, among others. She won 1st prize at Designblok Prague and has been nominated for the German Design Newcomer Award 2025.
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