Sári Ember

During the residency, I would focus on places where collective memory reveals through the representations of human figures and faces, such as public spaces, museums. I am interested how people relate to these monuments and objects, and how do I relate to them maybe not even being familiar with the role and importance of the represented person.

In my studio process I would work with collage as the starting point of my research, and I would like to experiment with textile and ceramics. With textile I am planning to make flag-like large masks, and I would like to try out different kinds of textiles and sewing techniques. With ceramics, depending also on the facilities I would like to make larger vases.

I would like to thank Tranzit Vienna and ERSTE Foundation for the generous support of my residency, and I would like to thank Museumsquartier for their help and work in the organization.

I have visited numerous museums, exhibitions, commercial galleries, and several events of the Wiener Festwochen. Especially interesting was the Old Masters collection of the Belvedere, the neolithic ceramics in the Naturhistorisches Museum, the Weltmuseum, the performance of Angélica Liddell - The Scarlet Letter, the mosaique in the Opera House, to activate a Fanz Erhard Walter work in the ERSTE Collection, mosaiques and paintings on the buildings of public housing.

I have spent a lots of time in the Library of Angewandte University, where I have studied books on ceramics, masks, carpets, weaving techniques. I was very intrigued by the series of albums aiming the cover the history of art of the Globe and all times. The categories, groupings, objective-subjective points of views were very interesting for my research on how we represent our heritage, our history and views through images and objects. 

On Parish flee markets I have looked at, and bought books on ancient cultures. Their content and form of representation are very good references for my planed artist book. 

I have finished a group of works of natural dyed textiles for an exhibition in Ortisei, Italy, in the Galleria Doris Ghetta. (See photos) In the studio I have started a new series of ceramics, which I will then finalise in Budapest.

The meeting with the other resident artist from the Museumsquartier were very interesting, I was fascinated by the presentations. 

I have also had meeting with curator Vitus Weh, with whom we have developed a commissioned work for the Esterhazy Stiftung in Eisenstadt, and with Ralo Mayer to develop a duo show together with the curator Barbara Horvath for Kunstverein Eisenstadt. 

My research’s goal was to reorganize, rethink, and develop my series of works on Death and loss in order to construct a coherent narrative what could be the backbone of an exhibition.