22th until 22th of September
Opening times: every Wednesday 17-19 o´clock
And by the Essener Kunstspur on the 21th and 22th September, 14-17 o´clock
Yukie Laurentia Beheim studied fine arts at the Düsseldorf Art Academy in the classes of Prof. Rita McBride, Analia Saban, and Prof. Franka Hörnschemeyer. From 2017 to 2018, she was a research student at the Kyoto City University of Arts in Japan through a one-year scholarship by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). In 2019, she completed her studies at the Düsseldorf Art Academy with a diploma (“Akademiebrief”) and as a master student (“Meisterschülerin”) of Prof. Franka Hörnschemeyer. The same year, she moved to Kyoto to receive training in the carving of Noh masks for the traditional Japanese theater Noh. Her work was presented in group and solo exhibitions in Germany and Japan: for example in Düsseldorf at the Museum K21 (2020), Weltkunstzimmer (2021) and Kunst im Tunnel (2022), as well as at the Art Live Theater International Kyoto (2021), The Terminal Kyoto (2023, 2024), the Kyoto Prefectural Center for Arts and Culture (2023) and The Museum of Kyoto (2024).
Yukie Laurentia Beheim’s work is about identity, memory, and transformation. She explores these themes in various ways in her paintings, sculptural objects, architectural structures, photographs, and videos. Her pieces often interrelate in terms of space and time, creating further works when combined. Since her student days, Beheim has worked intensively on the motifs of the tree and the mask — especially the Noh mask*. These motifs serve both as objects of study and means of expression. Her work mostly focuses on the inner life of human beings, expressing questions about their nature, and what remains constant in our ever-changing world. “Mirroring Gazes — Mask Stories” presents a selection of Beheim’s recent works that emerged through the engagement with Noh masks and wood. In recent years, Beheim has created traditional Noh masks, as well as freeform masks based on the basic shapes of Noh masks. In this exhibition, she presents works where she examines the self from diverse perspectives. On the one hand, masks are exhibited as real objects. On the other hand, video works are displayed in which the artist herself wears a mask and uses it in a new context far from the Noh Theater. Thus, the mask itself and our culturally conditioned perception thereof are reflected. References to the history and mythology of the Japanese and Western world are interwoven and cultural boundaries are made fluid. As often in Beheim’s work, there are references to elements of nature, which — like the mask — play a crucial role in the visual narrative as a mirror of emotions. New works that can widen our understanding of the nature of trees and wood form an atmospheric framework for the exhibition.
*masks for the traditional Japanese theater “Noh”, which has its origins in the 14th century
