Elinor Sahm
Elinor Sahm is a multidisciplinary Israeli-German artist.
Elinor Sahm is one of the winners from September of ArtConnect's Open Call: Artists to Watch '21.
I am a multidisciplinary Israeli-German artist, working mostly with immersive sculpture and large-scale installation.
Currently, I am dealing with my family history, which is intertwined with the political and cultural heritage of both Israel and Germany, with my biography, trauma, and repression as a survival mechanism. Over the years, while researching my family history, I have noticed that the way I refer to the facts and to objects changes according to the nature of my relationships with family members. This got me interested in the fluidity and elusiveness of historical facts and relics, and the role they play in the definition of the present and the future.
My choice of materials is dependent on the concept. Whether it is recycled wood for a heavy large-scale sculpture or light and sheer fabric for a projection, the materiality and physical experience of my work is always highly significant and plays a key role in transforming thoughts into reality and form.
Stephanie Fenner
Curator
“Personal storytelling can become an essential part of an artist’s work. Digging in the past, uncovering the family’s history, and completing the blanks of oral history – there is no absolute truth, many narratives depend on the storytellers and their evaluation of right and wrong, good and bad. Elinor Sahm picks up the trail of her great-grandfather Heinrich Sahm (1877–1939), facing the fear of possibly encountering an uncomfortable truth. With her work “A Very Big Man,” she attempts to portray one of her ancestors, standing out not only because of his physical size of 2.15m but also because of the possibly controversial fulfillment of his role as a mayor of Berlin (1931–1935). In her installation, she presents history in layers, trying to demystify her family’s history through ongoing artistic research.”
ArtConnect asked the winning artists to share with us a glimpse into their creative life to get a sense of their personal inspiration and artistic process.
How would you describe your artistic approach?
My main wish, before the concept of a specific work, is to create a whole environment, to immerse the viewer into my work so that the emotion that I’ve put into the space will be felt in the body. After that comes the concept and its needs for the right materials and form.
And how did you get started as an artist?
The moment I understood I wanted to be an artist was after experiencing Richard Wilson’s work “20:50” at Saatchi gallery in London when I was 17 years old. From that point on it was clear that I’ll go to art school. But I believe that I can say that I started as an artist when I got my first studio in 2017. It was an act of commitment to my future as an artist.
Elinor Sahm’s studio
Where do you look for sources of inspiration?
Art inspires me! Going to a good show can give me a boost of studio energy for a full month. I also LOVE cinema, It's air for my work.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an artist?
The biggest challenge for me is to delegate. To understand that a huge project needs more than my two hands for it to be built and that I should trust people to do things that I can’t.
Elinor Sahm at work in her studio
Describe a typical day in the studio/wherever you make your work.
A lot of drawing, writing, and reading, and a few cups of coffee that was forgotten and got cold. The big work is when I’m starting production and that’s a whole different thing.
What are you currently working on and what’s coming up next for you?
After a crazy year with two solo shows, a few group shows and the first year of MFA studies, I’ve decided to give myself the time and space to concentrate on my graduate exhibition that will be in May 2022 and a new body of work that is, surprisingly, mostly works on paper.
Is there a medium, a process, or a technique that you haven't used in your work yet but would like to try out?
I want to try everything! I think the next thing will be sewing. I started to be fond of fabrics.
How does it feel to be selected as an ArtConnect Artist to Watch?
Amazing! How else could it feel? First of all, I love ArtConnect! I’ve enjoyed this platform in many ways in the past two years. Secondly, every time I get accepted or selected for something I feel like a little stone fell from my heart because I got a glimpse of recognition for my hard work and my commitment to this very complicated job that is called - being an artist.
See more of Elinor Sahm’s work
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