Caroline Achaintre’s many-faceted oeuvre is characterised by her use of a variety of materials and working techniques, some of which she combines conceptually. In addition to works on paper and in glazed ceramics, she mainly produces tapestries, which are outstanding for their sensual presence. For her large tapestries such as Mercury or Alberich, Caroline Achaintre uses the technique of tufting. In this procedure, separate wool threads are shot through the canvas from the rear by means of a pressure gun, so that the front side shows the subject. The process of creation is as mysterious as the resulting artwork, which is haptically fascinating and evokes associations with fluffy animal skins. The artist´s small ceramics, such as Dorrn, suggest cell formations or snake skins. The intimate watercolours, on the other hand, are reminiscent of puzzle pictures or the deep-psychological technique of the so-called Rorschach test. Mysterious mask forms, strange mythical figures, capricious heads or hybrid creatures become discernible in her work. Usually it is multi-layered characters or multiple identities that fascinate the artist and inspire her to create her works. Thus, Caroline Achaintre´s philosophical, psychological, motivical and thematic interest in the type of the Double in its ambiguity is also reflected in the title of this exhibition. For her work, the artist draws inspiration from both high and pop culture, from German Expressionism as well as folk art, but also from Central European carnival or animism all the way to horror, heavy metal and science fiction.
On the heels of her first solo museum exhibition in Germany, at the Kunstmuseum Ravensburg, the Museum Lothar Fischer is paying tribute to the internationally renowned artist with over thirty works in a retrospective exhibition.