Susanne A. Schalz at Hotel Villa Meererbusch. „Pott in Farbe“.

Susanne A. Schalz. Pot in color

“Pott in Farbe” is the name of Susanne A. Schalz’s studio in Gladbeck. And in German, „Pott in Farbe“ is a really nice play of words, unfortunately impossible to be adequately translated into English. Therefore, I’ll have to explain it. „Pott“ means (paint) bucket, and especially when combined with „color“, this is the meaning that comes into your mind immediately. And „Pott” is the colloquial, traditional name of the entire Ruhr area with it’s coal and heavy industry. Susanne A. Schalz’ studio is located in „MAGAZIN GLADBECK“, on the second floor of a former warehouse building of the colliery and harbour railway.

“MAGAZIN GLADBECK” is more than one hundred years old. Spacious and full of light, with plenty of room over two floors, with an atrium. The building from 1914 was supposed to be demolished. Susanne A. Schalz has preserved it and carefully transformed it into a cultural space. Today the MAGAZIN GLADBECK is a very lively place, on the one hand for Susanne A. Schalz’s art, on the other hand for the concerts, readings, plays and performances that take place here as well.

“Pott in Farbe” is indeed a fitting name for a deliberately chosen place. And for the special character of Susanne A. Schalz’ art. Because Susanne A. Schalz is very much connected to the Ruhr area with its special industrial culture and its tradition of coal and steel. It is her homeland, that she translates into her pictures.

“The Ruhr area can do more than just grey…”

This is what Susanne A. Schalz is very convinced of. And her portrayal of the Ruhr area is by no means grey.

In his still famous declaration of love to the Ruhr city of Bochum, the German singer-songwriter Herbert Grönemeyer sang more than thirty years ago: “Deep in the West, where the sun is covered by dust…”. This atmosphere of dusty grayness has long since changed. For Susanne A. Schalz, the Ruhr region is not at all dusty and “grey with work“, even though she is very aware of the tradition and the problems of structural change in the region.

Susanne A. Schalz sets her mark against it. Or much more, she gives a passionate declaration of love for it. Her pictures ane colourful and lively. The old winding towers and collieries, for example, are a frequent motif, so that even for the viewer from outside the region – from a distance, so to speak – they can be recognized as a typical „Ruhr Pott“ regional motif. Susanne A. Schalz paints her “Revier” in strong colours, presents its industrial landscape and typical architecture. And – almost entirely hidden – there is always a piece of “Ruhrpott” in her abstract works as well, such as from the series “Coal down”. The attentive observer can make out tiny pieces of coal in the powerful colour compositions.

The exhibition at our Hotel Villa Meererbusch

They have just moved in with us: the pictures of Susanne A. Schalz on our walls. The artist presents her art from November for about six months in our house, until May / June 2019.
Of course you can discover her Ruhr area views, as well as her abstract “colour explosions”, always with a little coal dust within. Rich green, flaming red, powerful blue. But there are also delicate watercolor drawings, cityscapes or landscapes, painted or drawn, for example from France and Holland or Italy. Impressions she brought back from her travels.

Susanne A. Schalz likes to indulge in colour, but she also likes to draw. The form is clear, compact, often framed. The line can be found very clearly in her paintings, as frame and definition. People don’t appear in her paintings, by the way, but nevertheless her works are lively and vivid. And Susanne A. Schalz is also a bit playful. At least a small, playful logo, which is occasionally to be found in her abstract works, speaks for this assumption: a tiny winding tower with eyes, quasi as a signature. And of course, the carefully hidden coal dust.

We are looking forward to vernissage with the artist and her guests next Sunday, November, 25, 2018, at 15:00.