Ulrike Palmbach
Stephen Wirtz Gallery

A curious familiarity and indolent playfulness characterize Ulrike
Palmbach' works, and it is precisely these contradictory values that
give her installations and objects their force and complexity. Palmbach
transforms her materials -- felt, twine, thread, beeswax - into pieces
whose conceptual perspective dances between the lyrical and the mundane,
into a realm where the personal and the universal dovetail. "Inertia," a
large installation of felt objects in varying sizes lies densely scattered
across the gallery floor. Made from layers of blankets, the elements
resemble tops that have been spun silly into a cozy oblivion. The
rest of the show is comprised of intriguing individual works. "Milk
and Honey," a large apparatus of two heavy pendulums crocheted
from twine, drapes off a substantial wood hanger from the ceiling.
It' unclear what the purpose of this contraption might be; though
it seems there is one. In a similar vein, what appears to be a pair
of pants hangs against the wall. The twine trousers are impractical
in their design with the legs tapering together at the bottom and
forming a hefty bulbous sac. There are also several spirited pieces
that almost appear to be common items from the domestic realm. These
works like the others, toy with the viewers perceptions of the proverbial
and the strange. Palmbach, who is originally from Germany, received
her BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1989. Her work has
been included in several exhibitions, including the inaugural "Bay
Area Now" show at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Stephen Wirtz Gallery
49 Geary Street, San Francisco
Tues. - Sat. 10a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
(415) 433-6879 (Megan Wilson) |
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