Emotional moon faces, hybrid-beings of half snail, half human, or tired harlequin costumes roam the works of Cora Wöllenstein (*1988 in Lörrach) – tragicomic figures that tell stories through the use of symbolic elements. Inspired by folklore’s and autobiographical experiences, Wöllenstein invents her protagonists and tells personal allegories that raise questions about belonging, identity and a universal sense of connectedness.
Through constant experimenting and appropriating different materials and techniques, she creates immersive installations reminiscent of a theatrical stage – spaces that are activated by the viewer. Costumes, often draped over domestic objects become props, offering an invitation to become part of the narrative and inscribe oneself in the scene. Who are we when we puts on a coat of many keys?
In her latest work Earth Widening Girth (And Other Bereavements), (2024), Wöllenstein places paintings, costumes and sculptures in relation to one another. In their whimsical or desperate state, these works defy the exhausting societal pressures of productivity while questioning how to navigate time as a scarce resource.
Cora Wöllenstein's work has been shown in international solo and group exhibitions, including at the Bothnia Biennale in Vaasa (Finland), the Städtisches Museum Braunschweig and in numerous project spaces in Montreal, Berlin, Helsinki and other cities. She completed her B.F.A. at Concordia University in Montreal and received her master's degree from the Braunschweig University of Art in 2018. Wöllenstein lives and works in Berlin today.
Education
2018
‘Meisterschülerin’ of Wolfgang Ellenrieder, Hochschule für Bildende Künste-Braunschweig, Germany
2011
B. F. A. Concordia University á Montréal, Montreal, Canada
Solo Exhibition
2021
This is your Privat Viewing, Rauch, Krefeld, Germany
Salty Skin, Projekt Room 145, Berlin, Germany
2017
Der Storch, Die Eiche, Das Fenster, Kunstverein Jahnstraße, Braunschweig, Germany
2014
Syngeneis, X-Italy, Berlin, Germany
Healed, Gallery X, (Concordia University) Montreal, Canada
Group Exhibition
I only work with lost and found. – Goldrausch 2024, Kunstraum Kreutzberg | Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
2023
Art Auction, Weserhalle, Berlin, Germany
Aprés-Ski, Studio Mondial – Kunsthaus Kurfürstendamm, Berlin, Germany
tutto torso, R52L, Berlin, Germany
miroir mobile, Gallery CubePlus, Kiel, Germany
Blue Horizon – Keen Hawaii, Icebreaker, Berlin, Germany
Clandestine Encore, Lost Weekend Meets Young Art, Munich, Germany
Sedan Reste Jag Mig, Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki, Finland
2019
Berlin Artspring 2019, Open Studio, Berlin, Germany
2018
Bitte Nicht Stören, Städtisches Museum Braunschweig, Germany
Auf Grauen Dunst, Rottstr5 Kunsthallen, Bochum, Germany
Bar du Bois, Foundation Vienna, Vienna, Austria
2016
[De]construction, Povvera Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2014
Did I Tell You About The Time..., Bothnian Biennale, Konsthalle, Vasa Finland *in Colaboration with Silvia Javen
Lab 2, Springhaus 2014, Dresden, Germany *in Colaboration with Sylvia Javen
2012
Boski, Studio 427, Montreal, Canada
2011
Fresh Paint New Constructions, Art Múr, Montreal, Canada
Graduating Student Exhibition, VAV Gallery, Montreal, Canada
Mental, Gallery onze, Cégep du Vieux Montreal, Montréal, Canada
2010
Research & Destroy, Galerie Ethecae, Montreal, Canada
Synchresis, Eastern Block, Montreal, Canada
Drawing the Line in Painting, VAV Gallery, Montreal, Canada
2008
Space and Displacement, VAV Gallery, Montreal, Canada
Grants/ Residencies
Goldrausch Künstlerinnenprojekt, Berlin, Germany
Emotional moon faces, hybrid-beings of half snail, half human, or tired harlequin costumes roam the works of Cora Wöllenstein (*1988 in Lörrach) - tragicomic figures that tell stories through the use of symbolic elements. Inspired by folklore’s and autobiographical experiences, Wöllenstein invents her protagonists and tells personal allegories that raise questions about belonging, identity and a universal sense of connectedness.
Through constant experimenting and appropriating different materials and techniques, she creates immersive installations reminiscent of a theatrical stage – spaces that are activated by the viewer. Costumes, often draped over domestic objects become props, offering an invitation to become part of the narrative and inscribe oneself in the scene. Who are we when we puts on a coat of many keys?
In her latest work Earth Widening Girth, (And Other Bereavements), (2024), Wöllenstein places paintings, costumes and sculptures in relation to one another. In their whimsical or desperate state, these works defy the exhausting societal pressures of productivity while questioning how to navigate time as a scarce resource.
Cora Wöllenstein's work has been shown in international solo and group exhibitions, including at the Bothnia Biennale in Vaasa (Finland), the Städtisches Museum Braunschweig and in numerous project spaces in Montreal, Berlin, Helsinki and other cities. She completed her B.F.A. at Concordia University in Montreal and received her master's degree from the Braunschweig University of Art in 2018. Wöllenstein lives and works in Berlin today.
Education
2018
‘Meisterschülerin’ of Wolfgang Ellenrieder, HBK-Braunschweig, Germany
2011
B. F. A. Concordia University in Montreal, Montreal, Canada
Solo Exhibition
2021
This is your Privat Viewing, Rauch, Krefeld, Germany
Salty Skin, Projekt Room 145, Berlin, Germany
2017
Der Storch, Die Eiche, Das Fenster, Kunstverein Jahnstraße, Braunschweig, Germany
2014
Syngeneis, X-Italy, Berlin, Germany
Healed, Gallery X, (Concordia University) Montreal, Canada
Group Exhibition
2023
Aprés-Ski, Studio Mondial ‘Kunsthaus Kurfürstendamm’, Berlin, Germany
tutto torso, R52L, Berlin, Germany
miroir mobile, Gallery CubePlus, Kiel, Germany
2022
Blue Horizon – Keen Hawaii, Icebreaker, Berlin, Germany
Clandestine Encore, Lost Weekend Meets Young Art, Munich, Germany
Sedan Reste Jag Mig, Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki, Finland
2019
Berlin Artspring 2019, Open Studio, Berlin, Germany
2018
Bitte Nicht Stören, Städtisches Museum Braunschweig, Germany
Auf Grauen Dunst, Rottstr5 Kunsthallen, Bochum, Germany
Bar du Bois, Foundation Vienna, Vienna, Austria
2016
[De]construction, Povvera Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2014
Did I Tell You About The Time..., Bothnian Biennale, Konsthalle, Vasa Finland *in Colaboration with Silvia Javen
Lab 2, Springhaus 2014, Dresden, Germany *in Colaboration with Sylvia Javen
2012
Boski, Studio 427, Montreal, Canada
2011
Fresh Paint New Constructions, Art Múr, Montreal, Canada
Graduating Student Exhibition, VAV Gallery, Montreal, Canada
Mental, Gallery Onze, Cégep du Vieux Montréal, Montreal, Canada
2010
Research & Destroy, Galerie Ethecae, Montreal, Canada
Synchresis, Eastern Block, Montreal, Canada
Drawing the Line in Painting, VAV Gallery, Montreal, Canada
2008
Space and Displacement, VAV Gallery, Montreal, Canada
Grants/ Residencies
Goldrausch Künstlerinnenprojekt, Berlin, Germany