LONDON.- For its second exhibition, Bruce Haines Mayfair presents a collection of recent works by the acclaimed German sculptor Markus Karstieß.

The show is comprised of three parts: his signature Memento Mori platinum and gold-glazed ‘vases’ from The Doe Family series, each of which holds a dedicated flower that slowly perishes during the course of the exhibition; ceramic casts of 4,000-year-old ‘cup and ring’ marks, a form of prehistoric art which he discovered while living in Northumberland and entitled the Stoner series, and Studio Peel Off III, an intricate, large-scale wall relief which the artist cast directly from his studio floor, its elaborate beauty belying its humble origins.

Says gallery director, Bruce Haines: ‘A master of the vagaries and skills of working with clay, Karstieß freely acknowledges his antecedents, Rosemarie Trockel and Lucio Fontana, in his expressive, often Rorschach-based sculptures. Eschewing recent ironic takes on ceramics in 20th century art, far from being hidebound by his extraordinary knowledge of the material, he pushes the mechanics of clay to its limits while keeping the forms of his work remarkably simple and poignant.’

Markus Karstieß (b.1971, works Düsseldorf) is currently exhibiting at Museum Glaskasten, Marl, Germany, which includes a performance with his long-term collaborator Christian Jendreiko. He is showing a set of Robert Smithson ‘scholar’s rocks’ in combination with Chinese ‘scholars rocks’ from the Museum’s own collection. Next year he has a solo exhibition at Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany where he exhibited with Trockel, Fontanta and Schutte last year. This summer he showed a group of ceramic ‘Fetish’ sculptures in Terrapolis / Whitechapel & Neon Foundation at the French School, Athens (curated by Iwona Blazwick). In the UK he exhibited a solo installation of ceramics, soil and sound at MIMA, Middlesbrough and at the Hatton Gallery, Newcastle showed giant ceramic ‘corners’ and multiple ceramic ‘boxes’ filled with molten glass (both in 2014). He created a room installation at Haus Lange/ Haus Esters, Kunstmuseen Krefeld (2014) and a solo exhibition of ceramics and sound at Krefelder Kunstverein, Germany (2012) and showed in ‘Corridor Plateau IIII’ at Eastside Projects, Birmingham (2011). His ‘Sculpture Garden’ was at K21, Kunstsammlung NRW, Düsseldorf (2010-11). Karstieß frequently collaborates with artists and musicians to incorporate sound in his installations, including Michael Bauer and Dietrich Detlef Weinrich.