Of Colors and Shapes

The theme of Eva Maisch‘s summer exhibition this year sounds almost universal. After all, shapes and colors comprise the physical existence of nearly all works of art and craftsmanship. Nevertheless, the works by the five artists presented in the Franconian municipality of Lindelbach in 2025 are very special and, in each case, unique. The blacksmithing of Antje Dienstbir, for example is a good example. For 25 years, she has devoted herself to the spoon, exploring its function as a piece of cutlery or kitchen utensil in a cross-cultural and inventive way, and has created matching ceramic vessels. In her patient pursuit of innovative refinement, she has expanded her spoon theme in recent years to include vessels made of copper and silver – breathtakingly fine, also colored, and always perfect.

Masterful smithing reminiscent of Japanese tea ceramics by Antje Dienstbir. © Antje Dienstbir.

For decades, Ann van Hoey has cut and folded smooth clay to create shapes, some of which are strikingly colorful. For a long time, the natural hue of the clay determined the character of the form. Later, the Belgian ceramicist embellished stoneware bowls with a coating of vividly colored car paint. Now she is exploring how she can achieve lush colors using ceramic techniques alone.

Clear shapes and strong colors, ceramic art by Ann van Hoey, © Ann van Hoey.

Christoph Leuner understands his enigmatic hollow bodies “as containers for storing personal items and thoughts of significance.” For many years, this trained carpenter, wood sculptor and teacher has explored exciting forms made of wood and wood-based materials that can appropriately contain their contents, which are also intended to be poetic.

Container for things and thoughts. Hohl-Körper #9.3 by Christoph Leuner, © Christoph Leuner.

Katja Schlegel crafts jewelry in clear, untheatrical forms, yet this Munich-based goldsmith and gallery owner succeeds in sparking magic with her pieces, which combine eye-catching pop art and simple, architectural sensuality.

Antje Stutz is one of those artists who blithely ignore the boundaries between disciplines. Jewelry, painting, or drawing? Sometimes the differences lie only in the dimensions and the point of view. The lightness and power of a line, as well as the interplay of bodies and colors, work on both a large and small scale for this Berlin-based artist, whose works are particularly impressive in Eva Maisch’s exhibitions.