Franziska Nast

Bronze mit schwarzer Patina /  bronze with black patina,
Größe variiert /  size varies
65 × 40 cm - 10 × 20 cm

(…)
Nast has a passion for domesticated, (sub)tropical plants. One of the artist's faithful companions is an alocasia, which has had a place in her Hamburg studio for many years and serves as both an inspiration and a source of inspiration for her artistic work.also known as arrowleaf or elephant's ear, this classic houseplant is considered a complicated plant that requires the right amount of light, moisture and goodwill. In its native habitat, the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, the alocasia with its sturdy stems and a leaf diameter of up to one and a half meters can be used as a natural umbrella and renews its leaves continuously.

When plants became a trade product of the colonial powers and were brought into our climes, they lost certain external characteristics - like countless other plants that found their way into our living rooms via the botanical gardens: It submitted to the adverse conditions of a dry Central European climate and ekes out a mostly temporary existence as a decorative houseplant.Nast's preoccupation with the alocasia and other palm plants opens up ambiguous, critical perspectives on topics such as origin/memory, care work, being a woman and sustainability, which have preoccupied her since the end of her studies at the HBK Braunschweig in 2011.

Whenever Franziska Nast's studio alocasia loses a leaf, she creates a tribute to it in the form of a bronze cast by allowing the original leaf to melt away. After their transformation, the dead leaves reach ten times their original weight and thus manifest their apparent volatility and transience in something that remains, something that is enduring and weighty.Nast patinates the bronzed pieces with sulphur liver and adds subtle drawings.
(…) [Nina Holm, Kunstraum München e.V.]