Susa Templin x Motel One Frankfurt-Messe
Profile
- Born in 1965 in Hamburg; lives and works in Berlin and Frankfurt am Main
- Studied at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main and at the Berlin University of the Arts (1987–1993)
- Focuses on photography in large-scale installations: she deconstructs and reconstructs the photographically captured space, both in analogue and digital form, and explores its third and fourth dimensions
- Exhibitions include the Städel Museum, the Kunsthalle Mannheim, the Berlinische Galerie and the Museum Folkwang
- Works in public collections, including the Städel Museum, the Berlinische Galerie and the Federal Collection of Contemporary Art
- Awards include: the International Welde Art Prize for Photography (2013), the AAResidency awarded by the Federal Foreign Office (2019), and the Art Promotion Prize from the Frankfurter Künstlerhilfe (1993)
7 Questions for Susa
What is the title of your artwork? What is the special meaning behind it?
“Frankfurt City-Layers” is the title of the piece I created for Motel One. The aim was to create an associative kaleidoscope capturing the essence of Frankfurt as an international centre of trade: an artistic, whimsical wall installation with plenty to look at and discover.
What are the key elements, and what message or emotion are you seeking to convey?
‘Frankfurt City_Layers’ is a collage of photographs taken specifically for this piece, which I captured in Frankfurt using my analogue camera for the project. These images were taken in the area around the Frankfurt Stock Exchange: they reflect this trading centre with all the associations it evokes. These city photographs are combined with images of what ‘money’ appears to be and what it represents: ‘trinkets, glitter, shimmer, golden and iridescent things’: reflections in shop windows, dazzling reflections of urban life in luxury shops (‘what money can buy’), coins from all corners of the globe, and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange building.
What inspired you to create this artwork?
I developed this artwork at the invitation of the art curators at Motel One. The brief was to create a multi-part artistic depiction of the financial metropolis of Frankfurt. I immediately envisaged it as a colourful, kaleidoscopic work that unfolds within the space.
What materials and techniques did you use for the artwork?
It was intended to be a light, ethereal reflection on Frankfurt as an international trading centre; the city is both very modern and has medieval roots – the first book fair was founded here around 1500! I therefore wanted to make the layering of time and architecture visible: the work consists of a multitude of transparent polycarbonate panels printed using a thermal UV printing process.
Were there any particular stories or challenges that arose whilst creating the artwork?
For me – having studied at the Städel in Frankfurt and living partly in Berlin and partly in Frankfurt – it was a fascinating process of immersing myself in the city’s history! Which buildings are there, how long have they been there? This international trading centre has an eventful history – where are the traces and the architecture? How can one playfully depict the concepts of ‘money’, ‘currencies’ and ‘trade’? And finally: ‘All that glitters is not gold’ ;-)
How did the commission come about? What motivated you to take part in this project?
Well, of course I can only answer that in part, as I’m not the client ;-) The art curator at Motel One, Birgit Meßmer, wrote to me and asked if I’d be interested in embarking on a little journey into the history and atmosphere of Frankfurt, an international trading city: We met up in person and our ideas started flowing straight away. So I set to work, proposing the concept, motifs and form.
To what extent does your work reflect the atmosphere, style or philosophy of Motel One or the location?
With the multi-layered, multi-part work ‘City_Layers’, I have created a multi-layered, kaleidoscopic image of the financial metropolis of Frankfurt. Elements of the city’s skyline overlap with colourful sections and details: glass façades, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the bull and the bear, abstracted coins, currencies and urban architecture – the trading city is reflected in emerging associations: a dazzling, colourful reflection of Frankfurt as a financial hub becomes a multi-layered artistic composition. The arrangement of the panels and the colours I have chosen are, for me, compositions designed to blend into the lobby of the Motel One. There are certain colours, such as turquoise, which one associates with Motel One. After all, the art and the venue should form a unified whole.
