Susanne Tunn (born 1958) is a German sculptor. She is well known for her big sculptures made from stone, but works as well in other natural materials such as tin, wood, concrete, plants or dust. Whether she is working with outsize or tiny formats, they always emit a strong physical effect.
In 1998 she was awarded the Prize of the 350th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia for her installation 166 beds – Peace and Noise, a site-specific sculpture in concrete and a sound installation.
Since 1992 she is lecturer in stone sculpture at the International Summer Academy of Fine Arts in Salzburg, Austria.
Work
Her sculptures pay witness of her radical way of working: the material itself in its given form is a main focus throughout the working process. Another important focus is the site-relationship.
Some of her significant site-specific works are:
5 tables, 1989–2004, which include sculptures from stone and plants located in Germany (Table of Thinking), Spain (Table of the Desert), Sweden (Table of the Sea), Switzerland (The Mountain-Table), Romania (Table for two couples and a dog), the sculpture POL-Stein (made of stone) which is located in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany opposite an architectural work of Frank Gehry and set to be a contrast to it, and more recently the chapel of the Johannes Wesling Hospital at Minden (2004–2008), which is recognized as the first hospital chapel in Germany completely developed and built by a contemporary artist.
Her concern is more and more the conception and development of sculptural systems including material, form and site.
She has published books about several of her pieces of art. Being of high quality aesthetically (the book Im Inneren des Baumes, 1990, was awarded by the German Stiftung Buchkunst), these books can be considered as a literary expansion of her sculptural work.
Projects/Sculptures and permanent installations
2009–2011 The Key and A.D., two sculptures for COLOSSAL – Kunst Fakt Fiktion, exhibition of contemporary art in the light of the 2000th anniversary of the Varus Battle, Curator Jan Hoet, Kalkriese, Germany
2004–2008 Chapel, sculptural building of the chapel in the Johannes Wesling Hospital Minden, Germany
2004 Table for two Couples and a Dog, Freck/Avrig, Romania
2004 ATEM – META, Felix-Nussbaum-Haus/Kulturgeschichtliches Museum, installation on top of the roof of Villa Schlikker and in the Anette Röhr Gallery, Osnabrück, Germany
1998 166 Betten – Peace and Noise, site specific sculpture and sound installation. Realisation for the art award on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of Peace of Westphalia, Hagen a.T.W., Germany
1996 Pole stone, sculptural installation in outside area of the Energie-Forum-Innovation by Frank Gehry, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
1989 Beginning of the project ›5 Tables‹. Table of Thinking, Minden, Germany
Selected solo exhibitions
2006 Perlen aus Stein, Lechner Museum Ingolstadt, Germany
2005 Tisch für zwei Paare und einen Hund /Table for two Couples and a Dog, Brukenthal Museum, Sibiu and park and old glass house of Brukenthal summer residence, Freck/Avrig, Romania
2022 Kraft der Stille, Lechner Museum Ingolstadt, Germany
Selected group exhibitions
2010 Unsichtbare Schatten Invisible shadows, Museum MARTa Herford
2007 MARTa schweigt, Museum MARTa Herford, Germany
2005 (my private) Heroes, Museum MARTa Herford, Germany
2002 Aquaria. Über die außergewöhnliche Beziehung von Wasser und Mensch, Landesgalerie am Oberösterreichischen Landesmuseum Linz, Austria, und Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Chemnitz, Germany
Rotation, 2012
A.D., Zinnschüttung, 2009-2011
Kapelle Klinikum Minden, Innenraum, 2008
atem meta, Braunkohlebriketts, 2004, Installation auf dem Dach der Villa Schlikker
Loh, Skulptur, 2000
Tisch des Berges, 1999
Pol-Stein, 1996
Selected published works
Susanne Tunn: Table for two Couples and a Dog, 2005, text by Liviana Dan, 16 pages, German/English/Romanian
Susanne Tunn: ATEM – META, text by Philippe van Cauteren, photo: Christian Grovermann, 44 pages, German/English, 2004 Osnabrück
Susanne Tunn: "(Chapel) 2004-2008", 27 colour prints, Photos by Peter Hübbe, text by Jan Hoet and Jörg Mertin, 56 pages, German/English, Kirchberg (Austria) 2008
Susanne Tunn: Das Kongo-Syndrom, 1999, include a talk with Barbara Wally and Susanne Tunn40 pages, German/Englisch,
Susanne Tunn: 166 Betten – Peace and Noise, 1998, Text by Jan Hoet, Nancy Spero, Leon Golub and Susanne Tunn, 48 pages, German/English
Susanne Tunn: Tisch des Berges – The Mountain-Table, 2001, poem and text by Ilma Rakusa and Susanne Tunn, 16 pages, German/English
Susanne Tunn: Tisch des Meeres – Table of the Sea, 1996, text by Dorothee von Windheim and Susanne Tunn, 18 pages, German/Englisch,
Susanne Tunn: Tisch der Wüste – Mesa del Desierto – Table of the Desert, 1992, text by Barbara Wally, 16 pages, German/Spanish,
Susanne Tunn: Tisch des Denkens – Table of Thinking, 1991, text by Ursula Blanchebarbe, 16 pages
Susanne Tunn: Im Inneren des Baumes, 1990, text by Ursula Blanchebarbe and Volker Rodekamp, being awarded by Stiftung Buchkunst, Germany, 48 pages, German/Englisch
Hellwach Gegenwärtig – Ausblicke auf die Sammlung MARTa, Contemporary alert – look in, look back, look ahead, Herford 2009, 156 pages, German/English
Colossal, 2009, text by Jan Hoet, Stefan Lüddemann and Michael Kröger, 286 pages, German/English, Bad Iburg, Germany
Andreas Mertin/Jörg Mertin: Religiöse Räume, Ta katoptrizomena, A Magazin for Art/Culture/Theology/Aesthetics, issue 54, www.theomag.de/54
Jan Hoet: MARTa schweigt. Garde le silence, le silence te gardera, The Art of Silence from Duchamp to the Present. The Mystery of the Etruscans. 256 pages, German/English, MARTa Herford 2007
20 Jahre Steinbildhauersymposion, 208 pages, German/English, International Sommeracademy for Art, 2007, Salzburg, AT
Sammlung Collection MARTa Herford 01, 124 Seiten, German/English, Herford 2006
Jan Hoet: (my private) Heroes, 2005, 296 pages, MARTa Herford, Kerber Verlag
Aquaria. Über die außergewöhnliche Beziehung von Wasser und Mensch, The Fascinating World of Man and Water, 319 pages, German/English, Linz 2002
Sonsbeek 9, Lokus – Focus, 2001, Band 1 und 2, English/Netherlands, text and interview by Dieter Roelstraete, Arnhem 2001, NL
3 Räume – 3 Flüsse, Ihr wart ins Wasser eingeschrieben, 125 pages, volume 2, 2001 Hann. Münden
Stadt(t)-art NRW, Kunst in 56 homöopathischen Dosen, Text by Peter Schmieder, 1997 Güterloh
External links
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