The multi-layered and media-diverse installation "Blue Grave",  is a clear sign against all the violence, suffering, war and death that has overshadowed everyday life, changed lives and left people in deep shock. A textile mass of organic and inorganic subjects spills out of the baroque fireplace, including torsos and blue skulls made of clay and silken tentacles stretching out. Here and there, a few light blue snakes wriggle out, appearing to be venomous and dangerous judging by the colour. The forked tongue is grey and just waiting to give the bite of death. The symbolism of the snake is an archetype in cultural history, although the meaning or metaphor varies greatly. In Christian mythology, it is depicted as a man-eating beast, messenger of the underworld or devilish temptress in the Fall, reprehensible and demonic, whereas in other cultural circles it evokes positive connotations. In the Hindu and Buddhist traditions of the Indian subcontinent, for example, the snake is regarded as the patron saint of water and clouds, and in ancient Greece as a healer. In addition, the site-specific installation also allows associations with the veneration of saints and the cult of relics, which are particularly present in the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Death is symbolically encountered here in yet another way. The draped skulls made of ceramic and the skeletal remains made of porcelain refer to the vanitas motif known in the context of art history, which reminds us of the transience of life and forces us to reflect on what we have seen. 

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Text: Paula Marschalek