Renate Balda

Beauty

Matter behaves as it must according to its nature. Coloured matter should organize itself so that it reveals something of its nature. As an artist, it is necessary to take on more of a serving role, to give space to the “will” of the material. From a certain stage in the work process, this “wanting” of the material becomes very apparent as a way of achieving a certain quality. Nevertheless, it is not about “effects” although I work with minimal material effects. It is a balancing act. You must not instrumentalize these beauties, but let them be for their own sake. Cage calls this the “presentational character” of art. Sounds for their own sake, color for their own sake. Such beauty does not want to work, but to be. In this being, it can be read in everything that is. Everything has presence.

Rilke says this poetically in the line: “I love to hear things sing”.

Renate Balda