Deep Sea Odyssey 14

Asta Gröting‘s “Deep Sea Odyssey”, a scallop shell cast from light-coloured epoxy resin, is so large that it could hold a person. Its surface appears to be weathered and overgrown with moss. Gröting often uses moulding techniques in her three-dimensional works, thereby thematizing the relationship between model and likeness. The piece presented at Blickachsen 14 is a continuation of her early work “Muschel” (Shell) from 1982, the silicone mould of a scallop shell, which she based on her own body size. At that time, the artist used the shell, which is also associated with the birth of Venus, to refer to the situation of the few women in the Academy‘s sculpture class. The title “Deep Sea Odyssey” is reminiscent of great adventure and heroic stories from Homer to Jules Verne. It is also fitting that the scallop shell is a symbol of pilgrimage. One would like to think that the shell, carried by currents through the sea, has undertaken a journey itself – just as Gröting‘s development as a sculptor since her student years can also be seen as a journey.
Asta Gröting studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. She has presented her work internationally, including at the São Paulo, Sydney and Venice Biennials. She teaches as a professor at the HBK Braunschweig.