Kata Oelschlägel: Ephemeral Permanence

“The body is the zero point of the world, the place where paths and spaces intersect,” as French philosopher Michel Foucault described in his radio talk The Utopian Body. Kata Oelschlägel explores the human body in the face of its decay – stripped of its flesh and reduced to its bare bone structure.

In light of the increasing body cult in the post-digital era, conceptions of the human form and its corporeality are shifting rapidly, driven by the transformative potential of body modification and the expansive possibilities of digital spheres. While we can become the master of our own creation by altering the body’s form and optimising it according to individual ideals, the inevitability of its biological decline remains ever-present.

Ephemeral Permanence confronts this paradox by exploring the transience of human existence in the face of its fragility. Oelschlägel’s works weave elusive forms with material gravity, providing an alternative perspective amid the relentless pursuit of self-optimisation.

Curated by Sophie Wratzfeld