CLAUDIA TERSTAPPEN: SACRED

“Worthy of veneration for its divine character or for being related to divinity.” “That which is an object of worship because of its connection with supernatural forces.” Definition of “Sacred” (from the Latin sacratus), according to the RAE. The exhibition “Claudia Terstappen: Sacred” aims to reflect on the concept of the sacred from a contemporary perspective in general and from Terstappen’s particular vision in particular. Claudia Terstappen, born in Arnsberg (Germany) in 1959 and for many years based between Barcelona and Melbourne, has travelled throughout the world (from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Japan, China, Indonesia, Iceland, Canada and the United States to Spain) exploring, through a highly personal approach that connects art and anthropology, the traces of ancient and modern beliefs in both the natural and cultural worlds. In other words, the persistence of myths, rituals and superstitions in contemporary societies. “Sacred” presents the sacred first as something religious, ritual and mythological stricto sensu, as demonstrated in her “Altars”, but not only that. Claudia Terstappen’s work also addresses the sacralisation of everything related to ecology and nature in her series “Landscapes”, including the animal world. This process of sacralisation–mummification is intimately connected with the inevitable reality of their progressive destruction (as can be seen in her “Fires”). The relationship between life and death therefore lies at the heart of this exhibition, which combines photographic languages with three-dimensional forms, in which the artist uses ceramics in a highly original way. As in her photographs, Terstappen’s ceramic works represent fragments of nature that are worthy of respect and even veneration. In “Sacred” we find works from the series “Sacred places”, “Altars”, “Cruz del Romero”, “Landscapes” and “Fires”, together with other works that Claudia created specifically for the rooms of El Principal de Còrsega. We would therefore like to express our sincere gratitude.