Stefanie Hering in dialogue – with artists, shapes, materials, and disciplines

Mythical creatures with roots in both Eastern and Western mythology were a lifelong artistic theme in the work of Hong Kong-born ceramic artist Pamela Mei Yee Leung (1967 - 2011), who died at just 44 years old. Mei Yee Leung, who lived in London, created her own unique cosmos of mythical creatures, with human figures bearing the heads of bears, foxes, lions, and eagles, to tackle subjects such as her marriage and her cancer. Stefanie Hering has translated a selection of these sculptures into expressive figures in bisque porcelain. They can be set up as standalone objects or table decorations and have an even more other-worldly, magical aura than their glazed clay counterparts.

Stefanie Hering shares not only an incorruptible eye for the smallest details with the photo and happening artist Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch, but also a love of working with the material porcelain – and with a very special type of clay: the extremely stable Ratchaburi clay from Supanichvoraparch’s hometown in Thailand. In his family’s pottery workshops and with help from experienced local ceramic artists, Stefanie Hering made a long-cherished dream a reality: a series of tall, person-sized vessels made of clay featuring stamped and scratched surface textures and traditional decorating techniques such as engobe painting or the use of iron oxide. It would have been simply impossible to fire or even shape vases and bowls of this size in Europe. Photo artist Supanichvoraparch followed the entire process with his camera; the resulting impressive series of black and white photographs reflects the local production techniques used in the manufacturing process and provides an impressive accompaniment to Stefanie Hering’s exhibition project “Din Clay Sound - A Berlin-Ratchaburi Dialogue”, sponsored by the Goethe-Institut Bangkok.

The aesthetics of everyday life are the focus of Berlin-based interior and still-life photographer Jens Bösenberg. He has already staged tableware collections from Hering Berlin several times. The objects from the “Extraposition” series by Stefanie Hering, which are unique in their large format, formal language, and angularity, inspired Bösenberg to create a series with polaroids. The special appeal of the “Extraposition” series lies in the ambiguity of the material, which looks solid as clay yet at the same time fragile as folded paper. Bösenberg has managed to continue this using a special technique for his shots, thus demonstrating an interdisciplinary understanding of art in line with the experimental approach of Stefanie Hering’s artistic work. The photographic works will first be exhibited in the P98 showroom in Berlin and then go on an exhibition tour through selected photo galleries.