Bad Ragartz Sculpture Triennale

I am currently participating in the 2024 Bad Ragartz Sculpture Triennale as the youngest among thirteen selected emerging artists, alongside sixty-nine established artists.

For this event, I am exhibiting my first large-scale outdoor metal sculpture entitled Femtrails at the Giessenpark in Bad Ragaz. Additionally, I am presenting a piece titled How can you doubt me now? at the Small Sculpture Festival of Small Sculpture 2024 in Altes Bad Pfäfers.

The 9th Swiss Triennial of Sculpture is being held from 4 May to 30 October 2024 in Bad Ragaz. The exhibition is open daily around the clock and admission is free of charge.

You can find my sculpture at the entrance of the Giessenpark, number 6 on the interactive map.

About Femtrails

Femtrails stands as a memorial to the victims of the European witch hunts, shedding light on how this dark history still shapes current views on female sexuality and empowerment. Standing at the crossroads of sculpture and painting, and employing a unique technique of etching and oxidizing brass plates, the piece stands as a homage to the feminist struggle.

In our contemporary imagination, witches often evoke fairytales, yet the harsh realities of the early modern witch hunts (dating around 1450 to 1750) are gradually fading from collective memory. During this period, an approximation of 40-60,000 people were executed on charges of witchcraft, most of which were women. Driven by religious superstition, political instability during Europe’s shift from feudalism to capitalism, and manifestations of patriarchal control and fear of female autonomy, the witch hunts mostly targeted women who challenged established hierarchies through communal knowledge and alternative healing practices.

However, with the end of these trials in Europe, fears around female autonomy did not disappear. My work draws parallels between historical persecution and current struggles against issues like anti-abortion laws, femicides, and sexual violence. Femtrails doesn't just remember the past; it also serves as a call to empowerment.

On the brass plates, female bodies and faces appear, as if screaming – a cry of pain or one of strength? The innovative oxidation process transforms the brass into vibrant tones, symbolizing both the flames of historical persecution and the fires of hope for female energy striving towards liberation. As one walks by, it is as if their screams still echo, embodying as a casting spell that moves towards liberation.

The process of creating Femtrails