AN UNDERWATER KINGDOM – SOPHIE ULLRICH EN PIERO ATCHUGARRY
All sauce, No shrimp is Sophie Ullrich’s anticipated solo exhibition at Piero Atchugarry. The artist presented a new collection of site-specific paintings and sculptures that entwines modern folklore and scientific inquiry.
Enriched by her upbringing alongside her mother, a biologist specializing in diabetes research, Ullrich’s childhood was immersed in laboratories brimming with the enchanting mystique of scientific instruments and apparatuses.
From an early age she adeptly combined scientific research with her vivid imagination, often concocting her own interpretations of centrifuges, pipettes and glass flasks, laying the groundwork for her artistic approach. Renowned for infusing her paintings with a playful yet deeply personal visual lexicon, Ullrich delightfully illuminates her innate spirit of inquiry through fables.
Mythical creatures have long captured humanity’s imagination, inspiring folklore and scientific exploration, while reflecting cultural beliefs, fears, desires and unexplained phenomena related to the natural world. Delving into the domains of myth and legend where Leviathan, Nessie (short for the Loch Ness Monster), The Lorely or Homer’s mermaids come alive— Ullrich’s All sauce, No shrimp plunges into her curiosity for the enigmatic depths of the underwater realm.
Two dancing Spirits emerge as central figures of the exhibition: The Heron (Hunter Spirit, 2024), a long-legged, long-necked bird and sacred symbol of rebirth in ancient Egyptian lore, gracefully wades in shallow waters, while The Dragon (Rare as Sphinx, 2024), embodying the artist’s reverence for prehistoric beasts, lurks in the ocean depths. Protected by two alligators in “Gator’s Gate” 2024, each spirit oversees its territory land and sea. Adding a touch of whimsy and accentuating her fascination with scientific instruments, Ullrich positions five engraved glass bowls as conduits for communication and vessels to house the two Spirits. Each glass vessel is filled with seagrass and tinted liquid, allowing the engravings to become visible underwater.
Ullrich’s signature leitmotif, a stylized headless figure with elongated limbs, graces the mythical hydrosphere throughout the exhibition. Golden Hair 2024, depicts the figure swimming through the kelp with the aid of a BEMA adult float band, a humorous tongue-and-cheek nod at the artists’ admitted swimming limitations, while in “HD-TV” 2024, the figure is engrossed in the world of live sea-monkeys, a recent interest that prompted Ullrich to purchase and raise her own personal tank of these novelty water-creatures. Among the paintings is a mishmash of advertisement elements, such as Sriracha hot sauce and Stir-fried Kimchi labels, that have long fueled Ullrich’s image rolodex. By blending myth, folklore, and scientific curiosity, Ullrich’s All sauce, No shrimp creates a thought-provoking body of work that invites viewers to explore the depths of their own imaginations.
Sophie Ullrich (b. 1990, Geneva, Switzerland) lives and works in Düsseldorf. Ullrich studied painting and visual arts under the guidance of Eberhard Havekost at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany (2011-2018).
She has exhibited at Messe in St. Agnes, Berlin, Tube Culture Hall, Milano, Nosbaum & Reding Gallery, Brussels, Setareh Gallery, Düsseldorf and many more. In 2021, Ullrich participated in her first exhibition at Piero Atchugarry Gallery, the following year the gallery started representing her work. In 2023, Ullrich debuted a solo exhibition at Pueblo Garzón, following her residency at Tierra Garzón with Piero Atchugarry Gallery.
All sauce, No Shrimp. Solo exhibition by Sophie Ullrich.
Until September 7, 2024.
Piero Atchugarry Gallery. 5520 NE 4th Avenue, Miami, United States.
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