GRACE SCHWINDT

The title of the exhibition ‘Lacuna’ refers to the process of conservation and restoration, where a gap can either be filled or left open. Connecting the broken pieces together, the cracks in the sculptures are treated as wounds and are not seen as something that needs to be overcome. Schwindt does not perceive fragility and strength as oppositions, but as closely connected notions which often exist together.

In her drawings, Schwindt turns to tropical and indigenous plants as well as historical and mythological figures. Depicted in a state of transformation, they reflect upon the adaptive power of the body when faced with threats and violence. The drawings speak of a desire to go on, even when injured.

Schwindt unfolds visual narratives that explore the effects of capitalist culture on the body and psyche of the individual. She analyses the role that bodies, language and objects play in the construction of history and memory. Her process often originates from specific research and conversations with a wide range of people, including activists, artists, musicians, politicians, refugees and her own relatives. The different media in her practice - film, live performance, sculpture, and drawing - are connected and intertwined, with shapes from costumes reappearing in drawings and sculptures echoing performative gestures.