REVIEW: SHIFTING AESTHETICS

For the exhibition SHIFTING AESTHETICS at the BDA Hamburg Gallery, a work of art emerged from the space itself. The existing architecture not only provided the spatial setting for the works; it became the raw material itself.

The title SHIFTING AESTHETICS describes a shift in aesthetic perception. On the one hand, the artistic intervention transforms an existing space. On the other hand, it changes the way we view what is already there. I am particularly interested in this interplay when architecture becomes not merely a backdrop but the starting point for an artistic work.

An exhibition born of a growing relationship

My first contact with the BDA Hamburg dates back to 2023. At that time, the Aesthetics Working Group had contributed to my exhibition REALIZE UTOPIA. I remained in touch with some of the individuals over the following years, and this led to the opportunity to present an exhibition at the BDA Hamburg Gallery.

Given the gallery’s location, a site-specific work seemed like the natural choice. The fact that BDA Hamburg was open to this approach created the crucial prerequisite for it. After all, if a work is to emerge from a specific place, that place must actually be allowed to influence the design.

Reading the Space

Upon taking a closer look at the gallery, I noticed various elements that define the space: the large seating staircase, the resulting slope of the balustrade, the recesses in the walls and ceiling, and the way they are highlighted by indirect lighting. Added to this are the different spatial areas and the large glass facade facing the street.

The seating staircase, in particular, became the starting point for my intervention.

I measured the angle of her bust and transferred it to the wall as a line. I mirrored this line and then shifted it parallel to itself several times. The distance between the lines is 62.5 centimeters—a standard construction dimension, such as those used in facade construction.

From this initially very concrete reference, a geometric grid emerged. The lines formed rhombuses. Horizontal and vertical lines were added at their intersections. This created a structure that could then be extended throughout the entire space.

A Grid Unifies the Space

The grid was not limited to the wall. It became the foundation for the rest of the gallery’s design.

It reappeared on the opposite wall. The glass facade was partially covered with colored film, while other areas remained transparent. This created connections between the interior and exterior spaces. The seating staircase also became part of the composition.

It was important to me not to completely overwhelm the space. The remaining transparent sections of the glass facade, in particular, play an important role. They allow a view of the outside and connect the installation to the urban space.

Whether visitors recognize the underlying grid structure is up to them. I did not make it a hidden system. The work functions even if these references are not consciously deciphered.

What is interesting, rather, is that the individual elements together create a spatial effect. Several people told me during the exhibition that the works seemed to blend very naturally with the space. This connection also seemed to work in photographs, even if one was unfamiliar with the original space.

Aesthetic quality begins with attention

The concept of the quality of what already exists plays a central role in my work. By this, I do not mean solely obvious beauty.

At first glance, a building may seem unattractive. Only upon closer inspection do its proportions, rhythms, structural choices, or combinations of materials—which possess their own design qualities—sometimes become apparent. As soon as I recognize such structures, my relationship to the place changes.

I'm beginning to understand the ideas that lay behind its creation. For me, that is precisely what gives it lasting value: it doesn't have to be perfect to be interesting.

The BDA Hamburg Gallery was a special case in this regard. Here, I didn’t first have to uncover any design qualities. The spatial quality was clearly already present. My task, therefore, was less about revealing something hidden and more about taking existing principles and building on them.

When materials become design elements

This approach, however, is not limited to the spatial structure.

I also tried to reuse existing resources when it came to materials. Among other things, leftover paint was used for the color scheme. New paint was added where necessary to achieve the desired composition.

The seating steps were covered with sections of a former floor covering. The material was recoated, cut to size for the space, and then reused. The wall and room installations on display were also created from materials that were already on hand.

This has a direct impact on the design. When only a limited amount of a material is available, it inevitably affects the possible dimensions and proportions. Open spaces suddenly become a design tool. Sometimes new material must be added; other times, it is precisely the limitation that determines the form.

The choice of material is therefore not an after-the-fact ecological decision. It becomes part of the design.

Sustainability also changes aesthetics

This is exactly where, for me, the real connection between SHIFTING AESTHETICS and my exploration of sustainable building begins.

Sustainability is often discussed as a technical or ecological issue. I, on the other hand, am interested in the question of what happens when this mindset actually influences design.

What looks different about a building when materials are reused? What shapes emerge when building components are connected in a detachable manner? What kind of aesthetic develops when there isn't an unlimited supply of new materials?

For me, this does not represent a loss of creative freedom. On the contrary. Constraints can prompt new decisions. They can lead one to look more closely, take existing structures seriously, and avoid approaching design from the perspective of an idealized starting point.

In this sense, I see SHIFTING AESTHETICS as more than just a transformation of a space. The exhibition was also an attempt to raise the question of the aesthetic implications of a different approach to architecture and resources.

Thinking ahead instead of replacing

Ultimately, the exhibition reinforced my desire to continue exploring the connection between art and architecture.

Conversations with visitors often centered on the practical implementation: How much work goes into an intervention like this? How are the forms created? And could this approach also be applied directly within a building?

It is precisely these questions that I find interesting. For me, the strength of an artistic work does not lie in its ability to function as independently as possible from its surroundings. Rather, it can make a place more tangibly experiential while simultaneously adding something of its own.

SHIFTING AESTHETICS was therefore not a decoration of an existing space. The work emerged from its structure, its materials, and its spatial relationships. Without this specific location, it would not have existed in this form.

Perhaps this is precisely what constitutes a contemporary concept of transformation: not asking first what can be replaced, but rather what already exists and what potential it holds.

If you're interested in the intersection of art, architecture, and the aesthetics of existing structures, follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn, or stop by my studio. That's the best place to explore my work further through direct conversation.