Malwine Stauss: Wings of earth

The poetic exhibition title brings two supposedly opposing elements into dialogue: Earth stands for substance and stability, for origin and breeding ground. Wings, on the other hand, epitomise lightness and new beginnings, and stand for dreams and alternatives.

This connection can be experienced concretely in the ceramics - for example, when a figure is anchored to the ground in a firm contrapposto position with a massive foot area, while wings, colourfulness and appearance strive outwards.

Born in Dresden in 1993, the artist studied graphic design and illustration at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig before switching to ceramics. Her glazed clay works show different manifestations of strength: shiny metallic surfaces are reminiscent of armour made of thorny tendrils, large hands indicate creative power, facial expressions and gestures radiate self-confidence. The ceramics are complemented by watercolours in which the artist developed her formal language.

Stauss' works come at a time when ceramics are experiencing a renaissance in the visual arts. Her colourful figures not only aim to please aesthetically, but also consciously offer alternative narratives to a world of lone wolves - they create community and other futures. They invite us to a different understanding of strength - one that neither celebrates heroic heroic stories nor sinks into esotericism, but shows in a very practical and dazzlingly beautiful way that there is another way.

Last edited on 10.11.2025