The Herrenhausen Gardens in Hanover are one of the most well-known Baroque gardens in Europe. Their garden stage was the first hedge theater in ­Germany and is also the only
one that has been preserved.
In 1690, a total of 27 lead figures were erected in Hanover, a part
of the northern German county
Niedersachsen, with bronze copies from 1974 on display in the embassy of Niedersachsen in ­Berlin. This historical ensemble in Berlin is occasionally interrupted by contemporary sculptures. The latest sculpture is by Verena Issel. Like the gilded figures, the artist copies historical models. In Issel’s case, this is an ancient vase whose motifs simultaneously borrow from the Baroque. Upon closer inspection, Baroque ruffs, corsets, and hoop skirts can be found on the two-dimensional metal disc. But that’s not all—in addition to references to antiquity and the Baroque, the artist combines typical materials from the area of Niedersachsen with universal high-tech materials. The signature staple of Niedersachsen, the Niedersachsen potatoes, meet industrial steel, and the likewise classical Niedersachsen sheep wool meets metal. A confusion in pink that playfully quotes and seems to wander through the centuries. An illusionistic drawing that pretends to be a vase but remains trapped in the second dimension.

☐ Stefanie Sembill