Book: Emma Stibbon, City Landscapes | StadtLandschaften, Teltow, A Ed. Illustrated monograph, Kerber Verlag, ISBN 978-3-86678-275-4

Emma Stibbon solo exhibition StadtLandschaften Stadtmuseum, Berlin 2 July – 4 August 2009, University of Brighton Gallery

The exhibition was the artist’s most comprehensive exhibition in a German Museum to date

Stibbon's powerful work spans the extremes of the natural and the urban landscape – from sheer mountains and vast glacial seas to abandoned buildings or grand panoramas over the modern metropolis. In StadtLandschaften the artist has focused her attention on the dynamic city of Berlin . The historical schisms that manifest themselves in Berlin and the forces of a constant transformation are the central motifs driving Stibbon’s work on the city. Two large woodcuts present the viewer with the remains of the former Palast der Republik, the ink drawing Die DDR hat’s nie gegeben (There never was a GDR) reminds the viewer that this is contested territory. In contrast, a series of delicate chalk drawings reflect on the architectural optimism of the Hansa district.

Often large scale, the work is produced through a range of processes, including woodblock or intaglio print, white chalk on blackboard or drawn using various media such as graphite on gesso. In all her work drawing is fundamental and suggests a sense of the strength, resilience and yet ultimate fragility of all these places. The artist reflects “the act of drawing has almost magical qualities, allowing me to connect the physical with memory.” Recognised as an artist working primarily on paper, Stibbon has established her reputation through a wide exhibition profile and a series of residencies and awards.