Susanne Tunn

Susanne Tunn (born 1958 ) is a German sculptor. She is well known for her big sculptures made from stone, but works as well in other natural materials such as tin, wood, concrete, plants or dust. Whether she is working with outsize or tiny formats, they always emit a strong physical effect.

Biography
Born in Detmold (1958) she studied Art and Sociology at the University of Bielefeld. She lives in Alfhausen, near Osnabrück.

In 1998 she was awarded the Prize of the 350th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia for her installation 166 beds – Peace and Noise, a site-specific sculpture in concrete and a sound installation. Since 1992 she is lecturer in stone sculpture at the International Summer Academy of Fine Arts in Salzburg, Austria.

Work
Her sculptures pay witness of her radical way of working: the material itself in its given form is a main focus throughout the working process. Another important focus is the site-relationship.

Some of her significant site-specific works are:

5 tables, 1989–2004, which include sculptures from stone and plants located in Germany (Table of Thinking), Spain (Table of the Desert), Sweden (Table of the Sea), Switzerland (The Mountain-Table), Romania (Table for two couples and a dog), the sculpture POL-Stein (made of stone) which is located in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany opposite an architectural work of Frank Gehry and set to be a contrast to it, and more recently the chapel of the Johannes Wesling Hospital at Minden (2004–2008), which is recognized as the first hospital chapel in Germany completely developed and built by a contemporary artist.

Her concern is more and more the conception and development of sculptural systems including material, form and site.

She has published books about several of her pieces of art. Being of extraordinary high quality aesthetically (the book Im Inneren des Baumes, 1990, was awarded by the German Stiftung Buchkunst) these books can be considered as a literary expansion of her sculptural work.

Projects/Sculptures and permanent installations

 * 2009–2011  The Key and A.D., two sculptures for COLOSSAL – Kunst Fakt Fiktion, exhibition of contemporary art in the light of the 2000th anniversary of the Varus Battle, Curator Jan Hoet, Kalkriese, Germany
 * 2004–2008  Chapel, sculptural building of the chapel in the Johannes Wesling Hospital Minden, Germany
 * 2004       Table for two Couples and a Dog, Freck/Avrig, Romania
 * 2004	   ATEM – META, Felix-Nussbaum-Haus/Kulturgeschichtliches Museum, installation on top of the roof of Villa Schlikker and in the Anette Röhr Gallery, Osnabrück, Germany
 * 1999	   The Mountain-Table, Alvier, Switzerland
 * 1998	   166 Betten – Peace and Noise, site specific sculpture and sound installation. Realisation for the art award on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of Peace of Westphalia, Hagen a.T.W., Germany
 * 1996	   Pole stone, sculptural installation in outside area of the Energie-Forum-Innovation by Frank Gehry, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
 * 1995	   Table of the Sea, Skagerrak, Sweden
 * 1992	   Table of the Desert, Sierra de los Filabres, Spain
 * 1989	   Beginning of the project ›5 Tables‹. Table of Thinking, Minden, Germany

Selected solo exhibitions

 * 2006	   Perlen aus Stein, Lechner Museum Ingolstadt, Germany
 * 2005	   Tisch für zwei Paare und einen Hund /Table for two Couples and a Dog, Brukenthal Museum, Sibiu and park and old glass house of Brukenthal summer residence, Freck/Avrig, Romania
 * 2022 Kraft der Stille, Lechner Museum Ingolstadt, Germany

Selected group exhibitions

 * 2010      Unsichtbare Schatten Invisible shadows, Museum MARTa Herford
 * 2009	   Place of Memory – Place of Vision, Museo di Roma in Trastevere and Galleria Ugo Ferranti, Rome, Italy
 * 2007       MARTa schweigt, Museum MARTa Herford, Germany
 * 2005      (my private) Heroes, Museum MARTa Herford, Germany
 * 2002       Aquaria. Über die außergewöhnliche Beziehung von Wasser und Mensch, Landesgalerie am Oberösterreichischen Landesmuseum Linz, Austria, und Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Chemnitz, Germany

Selected published works

 * Susanne Tunn: Table for two Couples and a Dog, 2005, text by Liviana Dan, 16 pages, German/English/Romanian
 * Susanne Tunn: ATEM – META, text by Philippe van Cauteren, photo: Christian Grovermann, 44 pages, German/English, 2004 Osnabrück
 * Susanne Tunn: "(Chapel) 2004-2008", 27 colour prints, Photos by Peter Hübbe, text by Jan Hoet and Jörg Mertin, 56 pages, German/English, Kirchberg (Austria) 2008
 * Susanne Tunn: Das Kongo-Syndrom, 1999, include a talk with Barbara Wally and Susanne Tunn40 pages, German/Englisch,
 * Susanne Tunn: 166 Betten – Peace and Noise, 1998, Text by Jan Hoet, Nancy Spero, Leon Golub and Susanne Tunn, 48 pages, German/English
 * Susanne Tunn: Tisch des Berges – The Mountain-Table, 2001, poem and text by Ilma Rakusa and Susanne Tunn, 16 pages, German/English
 * Susanne Tunn: Tisch des Meeres – Table of the Sea, 1996, text by Dorothee von Windheim and Susanne Tunn, 18 pages, German/Englisch,
 * Susanne Tunn: Tisch der Wüste – Mesa del Desierto – Table of the Desert, 1992, text by Barbara Wally, 16 pages, German/Spanish,
 * Susanne Tunn: Tisch des Denkens – Table of Thinking, 1991, text by Ursula Blanchebarbe, 16 pages
 * Susanne Tunn: Im Inneren des Baumes, 1990, text by Ursula Blanchebarbe and Volker Rodekamp, being awarded by Stiftung Buchkunst, Germany, 48 pages, German/Englisch