Beate Gegenwart
Metal enameller
Swansea, United Kingdom
Through fire and void
- Beate’s metal artworks are designed and made as 'drawings in space'
- Themes of absence and fragility underpin her creative expression
- Her east-facing studio is the happy place from which she creates
Beate Gegenwart creates large-scale metal enamel works. She was born in Frankfurt and has lived in Wales since her twenties. She holds Master's degrees in both ceramics and multidisciplinary printmaking, and has had a distinguished academic career, including ten years as Head of the School of Applied Arts and Art Practice at Swansea Metropolitan University. Beate's creative practice has moved from ceramics towards metal enamelling since 2003. "Both disciplines satisfy my passion for 'fire arts'," she shares jokingly. Concept-driven in her approach, Beate's work is characterised by intricate patterns and pierced forms that reflect themes of identity and environment. Her work is held in private and public collections, including the prestigious Enamel Art Foundation in California.
INTERVIEW
My life is punctuated by the movement of to and fro between the UK and my homeland, Germany. There is a joy in not being in your own country, but there are a lot of absences, too. Everything I make has holes in it, as a way of evoking this. The more holes there are, the finer and more transparent the piece is, and by extension the more fragile it is.
My practice developed from ceramics. Enamelling gave me the same excitement of the fire as clay work. Essentially enamel is glass applied to metal rather than glass applied to clay, and I recognised all the technologies involved in the craft. It is just that the piece is only in the kiln for four minutes.
I am a planner. I love reading, and my work is often underpinned by poems, which give me a hook. I then draw, take photographs, start a sample and develop. The development is an instinctive process and gives me time to experiment. Once I commit to metal, that is it, I am committed. To create etchings, I need to create the artwork first, so the idea has to be clear at the outset.
I used to love steel, with its cool grayness that grants cool colours to the enamel. I used to find copper too warm, but now I like it. I am still evolving in my craft. The gold leaf that I use is 24-carat gold, and I also use white gold because it does not tarnish.
Beate Gegenwart
Metal enameller
Swansea, United Kingdom
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Swansea, United Kingdom
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English, French, German
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