Sand is Water You Can walk On

The artist book Sand is Water You Can walk On by Katharina Schilling brings together the series of paintings of the same name with texts by the authors Eva Hegge, Miriam Stoney, and Sophia Eisenhut. In her series of works, Schilling refers to Gothic illuminations, an early form of painting that tells of a time before the concept of the subject. The engagement of (art) historical themes from an anti-subjective, utopian -speculative perspective informs Schilling’s work. The three authors touch on themes from Schilling’s paintings and write texts that diverge in form and content. With her story, Eva Hegge submerges us in a dreamy, nerdy narrative. Miriam Stoney delves into mathematical, lyrical deconstruction and Sophia Eisenhut swirls the most diverse strands into a medieval pop melange. The three texts stand alongside the paintings on an equal footing and forge new connections not only with the paintings but also with each other. Intertextual references to feminist literature, medieval poetry and political as well as geometric theory emerge. While the artistic exchange between the authors and Schilling is obvious, the publication deliberately leaves unclear whether the texts refer to the paintings or vice versa. If you follow the pictures, the three voices speak to you again and again; if you follow the texts, your gaze is drawn back to the pictures. The open principle of the publication moves incessantly between the different subject areas and creates a lyrical form that opens up more gaps than it closes.