Karsten Födinger is a sculptor whose site-specific works make no attempt to conceal the character of the buildings and their imperfections. Often constructed out of simple building materials, his works are visual embodiments of physical forces. A cross between architecture and sculpture, they are informed with the tension between stasis and movement, diagonal and horizontal, mass and void. The piece on view at Art Statements makes reference to a historic event in Basel: the cataclysmic earthquake of 1356. Födinger‘s sculptural intervention of horizontal and vertical wooden beams both stabilizes and obstructs the interior of the art fair stand, creating a paradoxical spatial configuration.

In addition to the cash prize, Baloise acquires a group of works by the award winners and donates them to two important European museums. Karsten Födinger's work was presented to the collection of the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

Födinger's works entertain a close connection to the places in which they are created. His work ultramarin (2013) was developed especially for Hamburger Kunsthalle, relating explicitly to its environment. It stretches across the entire Gallery of Modern Art: from an anchor in the atrium, a chain leads to a buoy on the rooftop of the building. The work’s positioning is irritating, creating a surreal situation. On the other hand, the anchor and buoy are functional objects ready for a possible use.

Galerie RaebervonStenglin, Zurich, Switzerland

Jury members:
Brigitte Kölle, Director, Galerie der Gegenwart, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg; Karola Kraus, Director, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna; Thomas Koerfer, Director and Producer, President Board of Trustees, Fotomuseum Winterthur; Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director, Serpentine Gallery, London; and Martin Schwander, Fine Art Advisor of the Baloise, Chairman of the jury.