Berlin | ArtRegion: Berlin, Schöneberg

ChertLüdde

Zora Mann: Nectar Hive

12. November 2022 – 21. Januar 2023

In Zora Mann’s Nectar Hive, a complex network of origin and memories is created through the coming together of loose figurations and urbanesque and honeycomb structures. Seen from a fly-on-the-wall perspective, the artist’s world-building capabilities are further expanded by taking inspiration from nature’s geometry. Her imagery is deeply personal yet distorted, pollinating minds with subconscious impressions, and guarded by Janus and Juno – symbols of transition, duality, conflict and fertility. The first room showcases Mann’s introspective watercolor paintings, thus encapsulating her creative journey.

In the second room of the artist’s exhibition, a sculptural installation flanked with oil and acrylic paintings demonstrate the transition from self-reflection and curiosity to a broader concept of human and nonhuman collectivity. Through her use of color, pattern, and visual likeness, Mann highlights this interconnected ecosystem. Each of the sculptures conveys the complexities of humanity and personhood, ranging from archetypal titles like Night Nurse and Penny Pincher, to specific names like Clara and Ulrich, representing the combination of traits and memories that make up personalities.

Eye-level with the visitors, these sculptures invite us to contemplate our patterns of behavior within society, our environment, and the metaphorical hive, both personally and collectively. The exhibition blends the individual experience with the wider collective, transforming the impalpable into the embodied. By doing so, Nectar Hive collects various voices to be synthesized through the artist’s vivid palette, thus creating a powerful and meaningful message.