Cacti, Corals and Leaves
Marble cactus sculptures covered in snow, pencil sketches of corals and renderings of leaf shapes that seem to float, interspersed with neon-colored line structures and alarming titles of newspaper articles on climatic changes. This artist's book provides insight into the nuanced reference system of content, forms and materials, plants and animals, from which Claudia Comte develops her biomorphic sculptures. While cacti are well adapted to drought, corals, sensitive to ocean warming and acidification, form species-rich ecosystems at the top of the marine food chain. Leaves, on the other hand, represent photosynthesis, the energy-converting process that produces oxygen. In the supernatural convergence of cactus, coral, and leaf, aspects of desert, ocean, and forest intertwine through various processes of material translation. The starting point is an index of the wooden sculptures, which Comte titles with first names and thus quasi familiarly connects. They are executed in wood on the basis of sketches or, with the help of digital media, translated into marble. Marble as a fossilized representation of the sea meets wood here, which serves as a storage place for processes on earth and constantly supplies it with oxygen. The focus of the publication is on our relationship with nature and the man-made changes to our environment. These themes play a central role in the artist's practice. Vivid quotes from newspaper articles create the connection to the climatic emergency, because not only corals are acutely endangered.
