The creation of a new tradition in the field of tension between craftsmanship and design.
For three decades Stefanie Hering has dedicated herself to the innovative design of handmade objects for a contemporary, international table and interior culture. At the core of her work is the use of porcelain and glass, materials that are as traditional as they are sophisticated, but also of cast iron and textiles. In the course of her creative development, Hering’s design spectrum expanded, moving from the table to the interior, from the vessel to the light object, from design to artistic positioning.
The exhibition “Evolution” in Taiwan now shows for the first time in Asia comprehensive examples of her multifaceted work from the beginnings to the present and traces her career as a craftswoman, designer, entrepreneur and artist.
The Sublimation of the Ordinary: Developing artistic positions
With the consistency, uniqueness and high finesse of her design and craftsmanship, Stefanie Hering has established an independent and convincing artistic position in design in her 30 years of work. More recent creations such as the “Extrapositions” – powerful individual objects formed from clay in Thailand and transformed into porcelain in Germany, which impress the viewer with their irregular, angular volumes – have long since left the sphere of the utilitarian and are pure sculpture.
A special attraction for Hering lies in stimulating the creativity of other artists and in joint artistic work. Thus, the Bolivian video artist Jo-Ta, fascinated by the forms and surfaces of the “Extrapositions”, has realised a video mapping project with them. Together with the Thai ceramist and photo artist Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch, Hering realised the project “Din Clay Ton”, sponsored by the Goethe-Institut Bangkok, in which man-sized, archaic-looking sculpture groups were created in an intensive discourse between modern design and ancient regional ceramic traditions.
Thea von Winning from the artist duo 6 Hēi Project was inspired by the dynamic forms of the porcelain collections and translated them into moving images accompanied by electronic music. The resulting club videos reinterpret Hering’s formal language in digital media and thus open it up to a completely new, young audience. Finally, in a long-term project, photographer Ulrike Schamoni explores the aesthetic poetry of Stefanie Hering’s objects with her camera in abstract close-ups and has dedicated her own series of art photographs to them.
The creation of a new tradition: company and brand Stefanie Hering
Stefanie Hering combines traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design in an extraordinary way, creating objects with sculptural conciseness. All pieces bear the mark of the hand, each one is unique. They are created in the awareness that masterpieces can only be created through trusting, interdisciplinary collaboration between the best in their field. This collaboration makes it possible to transcend boundaries – between craftsmanship, design and art, between everyday life and the museum.
The durability and timeless functionality of the objects is an expression of respect for people and the environment. This finds its continuation in the social responsibility for the craftspeople involved as well as the preservation of the cultural heritage and is proof of the lived sustainability of the brand.
The special combination of curiosity and emotion, perfection and intuition has made Stefanie Hering a visionary pioneer in the design sector, whose work has feeded the creativity of others – whether craftspeople, chefs, interior designers or artists – and has thus had an impact on society far beyond her own work. Over the years, she has developed a brand and built a company that stands internationally for responsible luxury and timelessly sustainable avant-garde design, thus establishing a new tradition, true to her values: excellence, truthfulness, consistency, curiosity, responsibility and intuition.
Photocredits: Daniel Farò, Stefanie Hering