Installation view of Rods Bent Into Bows, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2020

Rods Bent Into Bows - Fabric Sculptures and Drawings 1972-1973

September 4 - November 1, 2020

ChertLüdde Berlin, Germany 


Rods Bent Into Bows – Fabric Sculptures and Drawings 1972-1973 is the first solo exhibition of Rosemary Mayer (b.1943, New York – 2014) in Europe. The title takes its name from notes found on one of Mayer’s sketches, one of many drawings she made for the planning and documenting of her sculptures. This exhibition is the first time since the 1970s that much of this work is being shown and includes some drawings which will be on display for the first time. The show focuses on a critical point in her production, 1972–1973, during which Mayer actualized her fabric sculptures and related drawings, a body of work for which she is most known. For more information about this exhibition please visit the gallery website here.

Rosemary Mayer, Hroswitha, 1972-73, installation view at ChertLüdde, Berlin; Flannel, rayon, nylon netting, fiberglass rayon, ribbon, dyes, wood, and acrylic paint, 116 1/8 × 68 7/8 × 11 3/4 in (295 × 175 × 30 cm)

Installation view of Rods Bent Into Bows, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2020

Installation view of Rods Bent Into Bows, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2020

Rosemary Mayer, Study for Hroswitha, 1972, Colored pencil and graphite on paper, 8 1/2 x 11 in (21.6 x 28.1 cm); Framed: 11 x 13.6 x 1 in (28 x 34.5 × 2.4 cm)

Rosemary Mayer, Bent Rods, 1972, Colored pencil and graphite on paper, 11 × 8 1/2 in (28.1 × 21.6 cm); Framed: 13.6 x 11 x 1 in (34.5 × 28 × 2.4 cm)

Installation view of Rods Bent Into Bows, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2020

Rosemary Mayer, Balancing, 1972, Rayons, cheesecloth, cord, and acrylic rods, 126 × 108 1/4 × 3 7/8 in (320 × 275 × 10 cm) 

Rosemary Mayer, Abracadabra Sailboat, 1972, Colored pencil and graphite on paper, 11 x 14 in (27.9 × 35 cm); Framed: 13.4 x 16.4 x 1 in (34 × 41.6 × 2.4 cm)

Installation view of Rods Bent Into Bows, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2020

Rosemary Mayer, Net Section, 1972, Colored pencil and graphite on paper, 14 x 17 in (35.5 × 43.1 cm); Framed: 16.7 x 19.6 x 1.1 in (42.3 × 49.7 × 2.8 cm)

Rosemary Mayer, Untitled, 1972, Colored pencil and graphite on paper, 14 x 17 in (35.5 × 43 cm); Framed: 16.7 x 19.6 1.1 in (42.3 × 49.7 × 2.8 cm)

Rosemary Mayer, De Medici, 1972, Colored pencil and graphite on paper, 17 × 14 in (43 × 35.5 cm); Framed: 19.6 x 16.7 x 1.1 in (49.7 × 42.3 × 2.8 cm)

Rosemary Mayer, Rods Bent Into Bows – Fabric Sculptures and Drawings 1972-1973, installation view at ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2020; Vitrine with A.I.R. Gallery original material: Press Release, invitation card and installation views of Rosemary Mayer’s solo exhibition at A.I.R. Gallery in 1973; Copy of Individuals: Post-movement Art in America. Edited by Alan Sondheim, 1977; Rosemary Mayer, review of the exhibition at A.I.R. Gallery NY Roberta Smith, Artforum, 1973; A.I.R. Gallery founding members in Daria Dorosh’s loft, 370 Broadway; A.I.R. Statement 1972 and A.I.R. opening poster

Installation view of Rods Bent Into Bows, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2020

Rosemary Mayer, Study for Hypatia, 1972, Graphite on paper, 11 x 14 in (28 × 35.5 cm); Framed: 14.4 x 17.3 x 1 in (36.6 × 44 × 2.4 cm)

Rosemary Mayer, Study for Hypatia, 1972, Graphite on paper, 14 x 11 in (35.5 × 28 cm); Framed: 17.3 x 14.4 x 1 in (44 × 36.6 × 2.4 cm)

Rosemary Mayer, Study for Hypatia, 1972, Graphite on paper, 14 x 11 in (35.5 × 28 cm); Framed: 17.3 x 14.4 x 1 in (44 × 36.6 × 2.4 cm)

Rosemary Mayer, Study for Hypatia, 1972, Graphite on paper, 11 x 14 in (28 × 35.5 cm); Framed: 14.4 x 17.3 x 1 in (36.6 × 44 × 2.4 cm)

Photos: Andrea Rossetti and Trevor Lloyd

Related Event: 

Rosemary Mayer - This winter I will make some sculptures from snow

A conversation about artist Rosemary Mayer's work focusing on presences, ghosts, and monuments between Marie Warsh (historian, writer, and co-manager of the Estate of Rosemary Mayer, Brooklyn) and Jason Dodge (artist and publisher, Berlin). View a recording of this Zoom talk organized by ChertLüdde on December 19, 2020, here. 


©2023 The Estate of Rosemary Mayer