Sarah Buckner
Inferno Rosa
莎拉·布克纳
“Inferno Rosa,” Sarah Buckner’s first solo exhibition in Asia at Longlati Foundation, curated by Sun Wenjie, showcases sixteen recent paintings that are as intimate as they are enigmatic. These pieces navigate the artist’s personal universe, blending life experiences with influences from art history, literature, and European traditions, creating a canvas as a stage for surreal yet relatable narratives.
The exhibition’s title, “Inferno Rosa,” itself reflects Buckner’s focus on dualities—combining “rosa,” with its connotations of warmth, tenderness, and femininity, with “inferno,” symbolizing inner turmoil, transformation, and existential struggle. This juxtaposition captures Adorno’s concept of dialectical tension, where opposing forces coexist to shape meaning. Buckner’s works invite viewers to explore this complexity and feel the pull between pleasure and pain, joy and shame.
In the titular triptych, Inferno Rosa (2024), the image of a reclining woman, possibly an acrobat, poses beside a monkey with a ladder and hovering birds in the background. These elements suggest a scene suspended between ambition and instinct, purity and acceptance, evoking a dreamlike stage play. Buckner’s fascination with transitional states—between stability and flux, discovery and completion—opens each painting to the viewer’s interpretation.
Buckner’s exploration of the “gaze” becomes evident in Adversa (2024), where a doll-like figure glances sideways with an indifferent yet defiant expression. This character, innocent but watchful, acts as a guardian over the exhibition, embodying the mix of vulnerability and defiance found across her figures. In Untitled I (2024), a fig leaf, partially concealing a woman’s face, symbolizes the delicate interplay of shame and awe, hinting at a loss of innocence as well as self-consciousness. The fig leaf—a symbol of modesty in Western art history—reveals Buckner’s deft handling of vulnerability in her female subjects, who appear self-sufficient, sensual, and contemplative.
Works like Icone Satin (Solo I) (2024) feature figures engaging directly with the viewer through layered compositions. Here, a woman, clutching a lipstick, gazes out with three eyes as though merging her act of self-creation with the viewer’s gaze, suggesting a complex dialogue of identity and self-perception. In Mayarelli (Solo II) (2024), a figure in lingerie with an oddly placed pump invites the viewer to contemplate her imperfection, blending classical repose with modern nuance. Her body becomes an emblem of life’s transformations, balancing intimacy with estrangement.
Buckner’s treatment of faces, using pale, translucent layers, gives her figures an ethereal quality reminiscent of Sylvia Plath’s Lady Lazarus, as if peeling away layers to reveal the “same, identical woman” beneath. This haunting effect encourages reflection on femininity, resilience, and self-revelation. By mixing oils with minerals like lapis lazuli and vermillion, Buckner enriches her work’s texture, capturing life’s complexity and inviting viewers to confront the multifaceted nature of human experience.
Through “Inferno Rosa,” Sarah Buckner offers a visual tapestry that encourages us to embrace and reflect upon the complexities of identity and existence, pushing viewers to grapple with the intricate interplay of contrasting forces in the journey of life.
“I do it exceptionally well.
I do it so it feels like hell.
I do it so it feels real.”
莎拉·布克纳，1984年出生于德国法兰克福。她曾在意大利的巴勒莫美术学院及德国的杜塞尔多夫艺术学院学习，现于科隆生活与工作。2020年，莎拉·布克纳荣获NRW+北莱茵-威斯特法伦驻留奖，并在驻留结束后，于2021年在明斯特的威斯特法伦艺术协会举办了个展“神魂颠倒”。
布克纳的作品曾参加欧洲各地的重要个展与群展，包括：“每根小手指，甚至”，施博尔画廊，柏林，2023；“现在让我们在莱茵河畔相聚，一起忘记河流也可以是边界”，Hafen e.V.艺术空间，杜塞尔多夫，2023；“莎拉·布克纳”，伦敦艺术俱乐部，伦敦，2023；“当话就在嘴边时”，巴特戈德斯贝格艺术协会，巴特戈德斯贝格，2022；“22年夏”，施博尔画廊，柏林，2022；“邀游”，施博尔画廊，柏林，2021；“紫色床单”， Ermes-Ermes，维也纳，2020；“业余爱好者沙龙”，Tramps，伦敦，2018；“先生们请入座——莉娅·帕斯夸利诺·诺托”，莉娅·帕斯夸利诺·诺托工作室之家，第12届欧洲宣言展，巴勒莫，2018；“手套”，Bienenzucht研究所，科隆，2018；“1001张图片”，Villa de Bank艺术空间，恩斯赫德，2018等。
