CHRISTIANE LÖHR: displuvio

Jason McCoy Gallery is pleased to announce its third solo exhibition of the German artist Christiane Löhr, featuring a selection of ink, oil and graphite drawings, as well as sculptures and a site-specific installation made of horsehair.

Reflected in its title, this exhibition is inspired by the Italian word displuvio, which describes the geographic line of the mountain range that divides condensation and rain, guiding it in that manner towards larger bodies of water. In particular in her ink drawings, Christiane Löhr employs a similar concept. The liquid ink is guided into transparent lines of water that, along with the unique characteristics of each sheet of paper, impacts its movement as well as distortions. Here, the physical process defines the visualization of form. The unpredictable movement of the liquid material on the paper's surface contrasts its careful guidance by the artist's hand. The inherent element of chance is a key aspect in this body of drawings, but it also impacts Löhr's sculptural work.

The latter are made of organized plant matter or animal hair that is organized into geometric volumes. They can range in scale and complexity, including cubic formations, as well as elaborate constructs evocative of architectural structures. Löhr studies her materials in depth, assessing their resistance and elasticity, before assembling them. This serves to honor their unique characteristics and to employ them to their highest potential. By isolating the organic materials from their context, she circumvents the theme of nature and transforms them into autonomous objects. Meanwhile, Löhr's horsehair sculptures, of which this exhibition features a complex site-specific example, are among her most minimal work. Almost invisible from afar, the fine lines of hair take on a delicate yet determined presence as one approaches. Grouped together in parallel, these lines describe a volume; they form an expansive column that spans the room.

This exhibition follows Löhr's recent solo exhibition at the Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum in Shizuoka, Japan, for which an extensive monograph with an essay by Germano Celant was published (2015). Born in Wiesbaden in 1965, Löhr studied Egyptology, Archeology, Classics and History at the University of Bonn before enrolling at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where she was a master student of Jannis Kounellis. She is based in Cologne, Germany and Prato, Italy.