Karla Black / Kunstraum Dornbirn

Karla Black’s exhibition at Kunstraum Dornbirn transforms the former assembly hall into an immersive, pastel-colored sculptural landscape titled “Safety As A Stance.” Using everyday materials such as toilet paper, gypsum powder, bath bombs, and make-up beads, Black creates a sensory environment that combines material, form, and color. Suspended from the 11-meter-high ceiling, strips of toilet paper and strings with molded paper hemispheres or translucent foils create floating, graceful forms. On the floor, sculptures of paper and plaster, along with sieved gypsum and pigment powder, form paths that guide visitors through the space. The pastel palette—pink, peach, beige, and yellow—glows under daylight, enhancing the holistic experience.

The rear wall features “Looking Glass (picture grid),” a series of mirrors, some hand-painted, that reflect and fragment the space, expanding its visual impact. Black’s work remains abstract, focusing on aesthetic and formal qualities rather than figurative representation. Her materials, often left in an unfinished state, challenge conventional uses, creating a sense of indeterminacy. While rooted in sculpture, her practice incorporates elements of painting, installation, and performance, exploring the boundaries of the medium. Black’s process begins with intuitive material engagement, shaped by the exhibition space’s physical conditions and her emotional response. The resulting works balance the fragility of materials like powder and paper with meticulously composed, space-filling arrangements. The exhibition combines new and existing works, reflecting Black’s formal-aesthetic approach while drawing subtle references to Baroque and Rococo garden designs, particularly the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, through the use of mirrors and playful, pastel aesthetics.

Karla Black / Kunstraum Dornbirn. Dornbirn (Austria), July 11, 2025.