
Eggshell-sculptures
The egg as a symbol of the rotating movements and convulsive forces surrounding birth is chosen
chosen here as a medium to transform these existential processes into creative actions.
In a deep meditation, I hold the egg gently, observe and feel its form. The urge arises,
to break it - an act of breaking that is linked to associations of shock, healing and pain.
The egg yolk and egg white serve not only as painting material in the egg tempera, but also
as a symbol of the inner fullness of life.
For me, eggshells are more than just a natural material - they are the medium in which I universally express my therapeutic knowledge as a chiropractor. Their organic form and the sculptural diversity
of each shell fascinate me with their beauty, clarity and purity, reminiscent of the finest porcelain.
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For me, the eggshell sculptures are impressive reflections of light. - Anne Kempmann
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At the age of 38/39, a decisive turning point in my life, an urgent need grew within me to
the urgent need to express my deeply felt emotions surrounding my own birth in an artistic process.
My questions revolved around coming into life as part of the universe and the cosmic connections
that permeate our existence.
I chose the egg as my medium - the origin of all life, the cell, the germ cell -
using its symbolism to consciously translate the rotating movements, contractions and flowing
processes before, during and after birth into creative actions.
Immersed in my meditation, I hold the egg gently in my hands - sensing, seeing, moving and feeling it - until the irresistible impulse arises to break it open. This existential act simultaneously reveals
associations of departure, awakening, shock, trauma, pain and vulnerability - and yet also something precious that reveals itself like a pearl in an oyster: the nourishing abundance of egg white and yolk.
For my painterly creative process, I mix egg yolk and linseed oil according to the “alchemy of painting”
to create a medium that I call egg tempera. I beat the egg white with a mixer until it is firm and then
use it to fix the finished work of art.
​The empty eggshells, which I stage as three-dimensional sculptures, are carefully cleaned and freed
from their inner egg skin - ready to unfold their own quiet beauty.
For Anne, the painter, creativity is not only a process of invention, but primarily one of translation - the translation of invisible movement and inner perception into color and form. With her pictures, she establishes a connection to an area of the invisible that cannot be communicated, but can be shared in the process of designing and viewing.
- Heike Smets-Rödiger
