ANITA OETTERSHAGEN

Anita Oettershagen (1946, lives and works in Düsseldorf) studied at the Textile Engineering School in Krefeld from 1965 to 1968. She then studied art and art history at the State Academy of Art in Düsseldorf from 1973 to 1979. She was a master student of Professor Alfonso Hüppi. From 1983 to 2010, she taught as a professor of design and textile design at the Hochschule Niederrhein, Campus Mönchengladbach. Since 1980, the artist has participated in exhibitions in Germany and abroad. The internationally renowned artist Katharina Fritsch has recently acquired works by Anita Oettershagen for her private collection Carlo.

Anita Oettershagen's artistic universe is populated by textile sculptures with dense, moving surfaces that have a fascinating effect on us. To realise these works, the artist has developed a technique that she calls ‘stitching’. The seams run parallel, in a changing rhythm across the fabric, creating a mysterious effect. The seams are then pulled together to create a three-dimensional sculpture from the flat, soft fabric.

Despite using a precisely defined technique, it is important for the artist to be open to the surprises she encounters during the creative process and to the random forms that emerge. After carefully selecting the materials and colours, Anita Oettershagen willingly allows herself to be drawn into the unforeseen events that occur during the process.

In addition to the fabric sculptures, there is also a series of drawings. These are black and white abstract ink drawings of natural objects, inspired in particular by the plant world. The entirety of Anita Oettershagen's artistic production results from an exploration of natural forms, structures and surfaces and is an expression of a subtle and deeply sensual reading of the transience of existence.