Barbara Szüts

Biography

Barbara Szüts was born in Bad Bleiberg, Carinthia, in 1952 and grew up in Bad Ischl and Baden. From 1974 to 1980, she studied painting under Carl Unger at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. From 1986 to 2010 the artist lived in Germany, first in Hamburg and later in Cologne. It was there, in 1987, that she created her first wall objects of carved plastic, which she called “Epigrams” (German: “Epigramme”). Since 1998, she has been working on a sculpture series based on Bach’s “Art of Fugue”. The stainless steel objects, entitled “Modules” (German: “Module”), engage with the process of growth, of ascent and descent. In this way, Szüts transforms musical vibrations into sculptural objects. The streetscape of modern Cologne has been strongly influenced by the artist’s numerous works . She spent 2001 in Cologne’s Hotel Chelsea as an “artist in residence”, turning guests’ fingerprints and satellite images from space into light sculptures. From 2004 to 2010, she held the position of lecturer of free art at the Free Academy in Cologne. Following her tenure there, she returned to Vienna, bringing her studio with her. Her latest works are very scriptural delicate objects of stainless steel or aluminum, bearing titles such as “Reflection” (“Spiegelung”), “Overlap” (“Überlagerung”), “Space” or “Nature” (“Natur”). They can be placed on the wall or stand freely, and can be viewed from either side.

“The flow of movement, which I observe in visible or exposed nature, fascinates me. I realised that the flow of movement, when transposed from real space onto paper, creates an unbelievable spatial illusion. The sweeping lines do not occur in a gesturally random way. On the contrary, they are physically sensuous, tried and tested but still spontaneously captured perceptions. The works are such that they can extend in any direction in the mind of the viewer.

The way to a free-standing sculpture lies through the relief. The sculptures are later created using a digitalized drawing with the help of a laser or water jet. The sculpture then comes free from the metal sheet. This classic negative-positive process evokes the interplay of genesis and decay. My favourite materials are stainless steel and aluminum, because they take on the colours of their surroundings.

The sculptures are designed for wall display, but also as free-standing or free-hanging pieces.