THE SERPENT´S TAIL
RIKE DROESCHER, ZOE KOKE
OCTOBER 10 - NOVEMBER 18, 2023
ALICE AMATI GALLERY
LONDON, GB
The sculptures by Rike Droescher emerge from a quest for contact with nature, irrevocably imbued with human presence and shaped by narratives of human domination, they seem to come from a fissured world, tangled fragments of an underlying reality. The artist gathers cues from life ́s stories and familiar and myth heavy elements from nature, literature and her immediate surroundings. Positioning herself as inhabitant, observer and intruder, the artist forges each work to narrate a different tale of a hand that plays with matter — from tender touch to firm grip — it builds the tools to survive the world. Droescher employs materials deeply rooted in a primal relationship with the earth, such as sand, clay and wood, and uses ancient techniques to create objects where often nature seamlessly transforms into the human body: gloves instead of leaves descend from a branch, branches become fingers. Within the space they inhabit, the works enter a dialogue with one another, creating scenarios that recall distant memories of a symbiotic relationship between humans and nature. The works appear to be in a feverish limbo between waking and dreaming, and unveil the wounded bond between us and the environment, whilst functioning as a reminder of our need to repair this fractured relationship.
Text excerpt by Ilaria Monti
Photos by Tom Carter
