A Game with Perceptions
The young artist from Munich, Julia Schewalie, makes the material itself, with all its properties and possibilities, the focal point. She is constantly on the search for versatile materials. In plastic she finds the attractive combination of the tension between hardness and softness. Many plastics are supple and malleable in spite of their stability and rigidity. After much research and many experiments with form and durability Julia Schewalie now works with substances like nylon, acrylic glass, sequins and PVC on wood. She alienates the materials and elevates them through a shift in context into the sphere of Art. Similar to the art form Ready Made she creates a new way of thought for the material. Each raw material possesses a different challenge in the processing and mode of operation.
The resulting relief-like wall works are both purist and poetic. When displayed they react with the room and the beholder, they absorb the artificial as well as the natural room lighting individually. The mirroring and reflections which appear on the surface belong to the art piece; this game with perception thus becomes a central part of Julia Schewalie’s work. The deep black colour radiates a contemplative peace whilst creating an ideal background for lively reflections of all colours.
The presence becomes reality: not only the piece itself but also with the spectator. The material pushes itself towards the recipient; it shows him either a distorted image or diffuse reflections. Questions concerning perception and introspection arise; it forces the spectator to analyse the work before him. The emotional situation of the recipient is just as important as the time of day and the lighting situation. Julia Schewalie’s works appear completely different depending on the time of day and the eyes of the beholder. The reflections of the surroundings dissolve into structures, stripes and points of light and become part of a new perception of the picture.
—Christina Wigger