Events

Executed in 1992, Inge Mahn’s sculpture Pentagramme (Gefallene Sterne) is comprised of three five-pointed stars produced in galvanised iron. The work was initially installed in a little square in the Old Town of Düsseldorf, close to a 19^thcentury monument of the Virgin Mary adorned with a halo of stars, known as the Mariensäule (Statue of Our Lady). Translating to ‘Pentagrams (Fallen Stars)’, Mahn’s three-part sculpture seems to have tumbled from the sky to lie earthbound and enlarged. ‘Mary on the column wears a crown of stars that, though fastened to her head, doesn’t seem especially stable’, the artist explained.

This tension between balance and instability is a recurring theme in Mahn’s practice, whose works often appear liberated from gravitational expectations. Elaborating on the rich connotations of the present sculpture, she wrote: ‘The stars on the plaza are like the ones in the crown: five-pointed stars, pentagrams, Druids’ feet, ancient magical symbols. In the Middle Ages, they were signs to ward off demonic forces. In Christianity, the five-pointed star is a symbol of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ.’ Abounding in sacred symbolism, Mahn’s fallen stars emphasise her site-specific approach. Dominating their surroundings, they invite a direct interaction with the viewer.

‘Inge Mahn’s sculptures are not created in isolation, but evolve within their specific spatial and situational contexts. They are autonomous only in part, since they react to preexisting architectonic and social structures, assume a stance that corresponds to them, advance objections, stir up our ideas about objects, spaces and rules. This body of work is an ongoing violation of the rules, it provides the impetus for a process of rethinking, reinterpretation, rebuilding.

– Stephan von Wiese, 2011