Ella Littwitz at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen
Soloshow «The Promise», May 18 until August 4, 2019
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Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; view on The Elephant in the Room, 2019» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition Overview
In her artistic practice, Ella Littwitz delves into archaeology, history, botany, culture, and politics. Her works focus on the critical examination of national and political identity, historical boundaries, and the construction of psychological borders. With a strong connection to her homeland Israel, Littwitz uses relics, archaeological references, political symbolism, and historical ciphers to create her art.Artistic Themes
At the Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen exhibition, Littwitz explores the concept of territorialization through installations, sculptures, drawings, and embroideries. Her artworks depict themes of claimed and conquered territory, no-man's-land, mixed territories, border crossing, and migration. One of her prominent sculptures, "The Elephant in the Room," symbolizes the crisis-ridden landscape of the Mediterranean Sea.Key Artworks
One of the central pieces in the exhibition is "The Promise," a bronze casting based on a tree stump planted by Theodor Herzl in Palestine in 1898. This artwork questions the nationalist gesture of Herzl and examines the appropriation of territory through plant manipulation. Littwitz's interest in plants extends to socio-political parallels, as seen in works like "Muşah" and "Uproot," which explore botanical names and their political connotations.Cultural Commentary
Littwitz's project "A Moon in Ramallah is a Star in Hebron" involves Arab women embroidering floor plans of old flour mills, symbolizing the hybrid culture of Israelis and Palestinians. The exhibition challenges binary divisions and highlights the complex cultural interactions in the region. Through existing and newly produced works, "The Promise" provides a comprehensive view of Littwitz's exploration of territories, borders, identity, and national thought from diverse perspectives.
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; view on The Elephant in the Room, 2019» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; view on The Promise, 2019» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; view on The Promise, 2019» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; view on The Elephant in the Room, 2019» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; view on The Elephant in the Room, 2019» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; Dune, 2017» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; Dune, 2017» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; view on Uproot, 2014» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; view on Uproot, 2014 (detail)» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; view on Uproot, 2014 (detail)» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; A Moon in Ramallah is a Star in Hebron, 2017 (M13)» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; A Moon in Ramallah is a Star in Hebron, 2017 (M12)» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; view on Muşah, 2019» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
Exhibition View Ella Littwitz Soloshow «Promise ; The Unknown Land of the South, 2017» at Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, 2019 / Photo: Gunnar Meier / Courtesy: the artist, Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels; Copperfield Gallery, London
