du 06 Avril 2023 au 10 Juin 2023
Galerie Minsky, Paris

The Minsky Gallery is proud to present a new dimension of Karen Swami’s work through a solo ceramic exhibition opening on April 5, 2023. This exhibition offers a deeply personal tribute to Bernd Hilla Becher, the legendary German photographers known for their iconic depictions of industrial architecture.

Swami’s ceramic pieces in this show channel the essence of the Bechers’ work, reimagining their famous subjects, such as blast furnaces, water towers, and industrial structures that have long since disappeared from the landscape.

Through her expressive use of smoky stoneware, Swami brings to life the industrial remnants once captured in the Bechers’ striking black-and-white photographs. These structures, immortalized on film, are now reinterpreted in raw ceramic forms, each one imbued with a tactile and organic presence. The clay, shaped by fire and time, becomes a medium through which the artist gives new life to forgotten histories, transforming cold, industrial remnants into works that speak of memory, decay, and rebirth.

This ceramic exhibition not only honors the legacy of Bernd Hilla Becher, but it also offers a fresh perspective on the impermanence of industrial structures. The artist’s sculptures echo the Bechers’ careful study of these monumental forms while adding a new dimension through the fluidity and fragility of ceramics. The result is a poignant dialogue between past and present, inviting viewers to reflect on the passage of time and the interplay of architecture, memory, and material.

Karen Swami’s unique approach blends the technical with the poetic, elevating the tradition of ceramics to new heights. This exhibition is a thought-provoking exploration of how art can preserve and reinterpret the past, while offering a contemporary lens through which we can appreciate industrial heritage.