Stephanie Brysch

Comics are omnipresent: they are memes avant la lettre, gained entry into the artistic canon and since 2019, the “Schauraum Comic” has become common currency in Dortmund. Far longer than that, Stephanie Brysch dedicates herself to this medium: with scalpel and scissors, figures and objects are cut from yard sale books, comics and magazines, organises and arranges them into new narratives. Her collages ensnare the viewers, tempt them to look closely and incite to analyse their origin as well as their new contexts, almost like a detective. Just like in the real world, iterations of incidents and their interconnected poses exist in comics. Are they a reflection of ourselves or are these stereotypical depictions passed on and reproduced from generation to generation?

Brysch’s method creates new circumstances, the existing stories are lost, the figures and objects are cut out of context. She thereby obtains carte blanche. The snippets become an ideal playground where there are no rules to follow - therefore it is made possible for Duckburg to encounter Smurftown or for Eric Castel and his team to face Roy of the Rovers on the pitch. An approach not unlike the interior design of the Wohnzimmer Cafebar: in a confined space, supposedly disparate objects come together - baroque wing chairs and rattan furniture, individual pieces and IKEA-products as well as flea market findings and family heirlooms. Yet there is a method in compiling either, which offers a truly individual journey through time.

Stephanie Brysch (*1976 in Wipperfürth, lives and works in Dortmund) studied at the Art Academy Münster under Paul Isenrath and Guillaume Bijl. Her artistic work consistently hinges on paper as a material: through drawings, collages and origami, Brysch lets the two-dimensional, raw material surpass itself on order to create sculptural works, often sprinkled with subtle humour. Besides work groups like “Nature” (and her beings, forms, colours) or “Tourism” (better stay at home)”, the EURO24 in Germany this year offers the perfect opportunity to pull out the archive of snippets on the topic of football - players, cards, balls, trophies and much more - and to thoroughly review it.

National Hymn, 2024, collage, framed, 50x40 cm
Victory Celebration, 2024, collage, framed, 50x40 cm
Ball Carrier, 2024, collage, framed, 50x70 cm
Card Game, 2024, collage, framed, 50x70 cm
Football, 2020, collage, framed, 22x70 cm
Dance, 2024, collage, framed, 30x40 cm
22 Friends, 2024, collage, framed, 30x40cm
Pairs/couples, 2024, collage, framed, 40x30 cm

Text: Linda Schröer
Translation: Matthias Fabry
Photo: private