On the occasion of the 2023 Architecture Biennale in Venice, Karin Sander and Philip Ursprung quite literally dissolved the wall separating the Swiss Pavilion from its neighbor, the Venezuelan one. Sander’s artistic practice often begins with a gesture of dissolution, unraveling dividing lines, genres, or the separation of an artwork and the space it is exhibited in. How one experiences an already existing space has a pivotal function in the artist’s practice. That said, her approach to space is not static, because temporality, processuality, and the constant consideration of the possible presence of an audience are all key here. Her exhibitions first come to life with their opening: They are not fixed constructs but evolve through continuous individual interactions. Although Sander’s art does not overtly hinge on actions, her point of departure and her art’s expression have a performative thrust. Karin Sander transforms and changes what she finds depending on the context that she encounters on site, not infrequently employing irony and humor in the process.
