DANIELA EDBURG

—Daniela Edburg

Fabienne Levy Gallery is pleased to present the second exhibition of Daniela Edburg, Do You Hear the Rumble?, on view in its two venues in Geneva and Lausanne. The show explores the power of change in times of turmoil.

Daniela Edburg’s first solo exhibition in 2020, Topographies of Transformation, explored the heart-breaking and rapid deterioration of the world’s glaciers, drawing a parallel with the autoimmune disease she suffers from. In this new exhibition, the focus shifts from the interplay between nature and body to emotional and psychological change. Volcanoes do not disappear- they wake up and explode. We are living in a time of political and social unrest, where human politics have repercussions on our natural environment. Amid the rumble and chaos, we find ourselves in a process of transformation. In this way, Daniela Edburg’s work has evolved from an exploration of deterioration and loss to an investigation of chaos and change. In this exhibition, Mexican volcanoes are presented under bell jars like precious jewels: Paricutín, Ceboruco, Citlaltépetl, Popocatépetl... Like blueprints, the works bear the names of the volcanoes they depict. These unpredictable and devastating forces of nature are represented here in miniature versions carved in wood, like precious heirlooms safely kept under glass. Each has a specific topography and is part of the Mexican natural and cultural landscape. More than landmarks, volcanoes are deeply interwoven into the Mexican cultural identity.

The show also revisits Edburg’s traditional technique of felt needling used for her glaciers. The ‘Night Volcanoes’ series depicts Icelandic volcanoes in eruption, their fumes escaping their frames. Inspired by the Jungian archetype of the volcano—both a symbol of transformation and a metaphor for the human mind—Daniela Edburg draws from Carl Jung’s observation: ‘One always tends to blame external circumstances, but nothing would explode in us if it were not there beforehand [...] we are constantly living on the edge of a volcano, and there is, so far as we know, no way of protecting ourselves from a possible outburst that will destroy everybody within reach.’

The word ‘psyche’ in ancient Greek means ‘butterfly’ or ‘soul’, relating to the belief that human souls became butterflies while searching for a new reincarnation. Both volcanoes and butterflies demonstrate that one must lose one’s form completely to reform as a new being. This show highlights the regenerative power inherent in destruction, emphasising its necessity for growth and change.

For the first time, Daniela Edburg showcases ceramic pieces with the Uncomfortable Dinnerware and Uncomfortable Tea Set series, which evoke dysfunctional human relationships. Just as in nature, what lies beneath the surface in relationships eventually finds a way of revealing itself, in a tentacular way, in an explosive way, in a way that can be gentle, familiar and uncomfortable at the same time. The everyday objects display varying degrees of distortion without completely losing their functionality. A tension is generated by the absurdly warped pieces, evoking the complexities of family dynamics in a domestic setting, which are also marked by their tensions and strains.

Do you hear the rumble? What seemed solid melts away. Nothing real can be threatened, it’s all illusion anyway.

Daniela Edburg (b. 1975, Houston) is a Mexican-American artist based in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She is known for her work blending photography and textile elements. Her creations, at the intersection of reality and fantasy, explore the human psyche, the relationship between humans and their environment, the power and vulnerability of natural forces and cultural contradictions. Exhibited internationally, her work is enriched by intercultural dialogue and collaborative projects, with the artist remaining involved in all stages of the production process. Through portraiture, landscape, and still life, Daniela Edburg approaches the monstrous as a repository of fears, anxieties, and threats, both natural and supernatural.

Daniela Edburg’s work has been exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, USA; Recoleta Cultural Centre in Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Museum of Fine Arts of Santiago, Chile; National Centre for Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia; Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego; Blue Star Contemporary, San Antonio, Texas; and the Denver Art Museum, among others. Her work is part of important collections such as the Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo, Norway; Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Museum of Photographic Art San Diego, California, USA; Denver Art Museum, Colorado, USA; Art Museum of the Americas, Washington D.C., USA; Centro Rómulo Gallegos, Caracas, Venezuela; Museo de Arte de Querétaro, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.