World-renowned for her ‘Sea Anemone’ series evoking the beauty of the ocean floor, German artist Pia Maria Raeder is committed to interpreting her own vision of nature and translating the aesthetic wonders of the natural world into sculptural objects. Her work is included in the permanent collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, France.
Each ‘Sea Anemone’ work is handcrafted from thousands and thousands of beech wood rods meticulously arranged one by one to create undulating forms. More than 27,000 beech rods are necessary to produce this sculptural 'Sea Anemone' mirror that includes seven mirrors in clear glass. The application of several layers of white lacquer on the rods both unifies the wood texture and underlines its movements. Emancipated from its limits, the wood hence transformed into living forms is offered a newfound freedom. A breath of life seems to animate this organic creation, like a nature that is not copied but experienced and reasserted.
Pia Maria Raeder’s work engenders a sense of wonder, inviting to a form of engagement that goes beyond looking, a more emotional and even tactile engagement. According to the artist’s own words: “My experimentations on materials and biomorphic forms aim at creating pieces which are as vibrant, unique and surprising as Nature”.
Launched in 2016, the ‘Sea Anemone’ series now encompasses many typologies in which function and poetry fuse: side and coffee tables, wall and freestanding mirrors, armchairs, chandeliers, floor lamps and table lamps, vases.