Anna Maria Kupper: Du Frau

The publication Du Frau. Lose Gedanken combines a haunting photo essay by Anna Maria Kupper with a lyrical text in the form of a poem. Over a period of several years, the artist focuses on an unassuming yet enigmatic presence in the landscape of Sils Maria in the Upper Engadine: a tree stump that, in her perception, assumes the form of a woman. A visual diary of this encounter emerges during her repeated walks – the natural environment hidden beneath the snow in winter, or overgrown and transformed in summer.

The photographs depict this “woman” in ever-changing states: marked by wind, cold and the passage of time. In parallel, an aphoristic, lyrical text unfolds, posing questions on identity, transience and relationships. Image and language enter into a quiet dialogue that oscillates between observation and projection, opening up a poetic reflection on perception and ageing.

Anna Maria Kupper (born in Rothenburg, Lucerne in 1947) is a freelance artist who lives and works in Lucerne. Following her training in Lucerne and further studies abroad, she has developed a diverse body of work that moves between sculpture, drawing and photographic approaches.

Du Frau. Lose Gedanken is a quiet, evocative exploration of seeing and recognising – and of the traces that time leaves behind in the landscape and memory.