Elisabeth Schmirl

"Sunlight filtered through the leaves of a treetop" – not a single language in the world has a word corresponding to the Japanese "komorebi". In Elisabeth Schmirl's œuvre, an important role is played by the study of light and of the (un)translatability of pictures. Her works represent a stage in a chain of associations which she offers as a stimulus for new ones.
In many languages there are terms that can be translated into other languages only by means of paraphrase. But how is it with pictures? Are they universally comprehensible? How far can they be translated into spoken or written language?
Light has always been an inherent characteristic of Elisabeth Schmirl's work. Her delicate pastel-coloured paintings, her drawings and prints all play with fine nuances. Like the leaves through which the sunlight falls, the special process to which she subjects the printing plates – which are in fact single sheets – effect an intensive, sometimes apparently playful exploration of diverse spectra comparable with the light reflections that produce the "komorebi".
In years of research, between seeking and finding, Elisabeth Schmirl has collected a store of digital images, which is growing daily. She is interested in these images not only for their subjects or aesthetic qualities, but also because she already recognises in them the works that will emerge.
In her choice of motifs, Schmirl pays particular attention to political and critical aspects. She goes beyond the boundaries of asynchronism by establishing links between images from different times. Social and political developments of the 20th and 21st centuries are brought up for discussion, along with central topics such as self-representation, power, war and consumerism. Similarly to the untranslatability of the word "komorebi", the artist's works are not readily expressed in words.

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