A feeling of foreignness - Finissage Christine Krämer

3^rd of April 2025

The feeling of foreignness is a recurring element in all eras of art, in painting as well as in music. The exhibition “Der umgekehrte Blick” (“The inverted view”) by Christine Krämer shows works that consciously deal with the theme of strangeness. The series of astronauts, as varied as the pictures are in their design, captivated many visitors’ imagination. It is the gaze of the alien beings that looks at and yet looks through, that observes in detail and yet wanders into the distance. The gaze that conveys a feeling of being there and yet not belonging.
Inspired by the images of the astronauts, Larissa Richter, pianist and composer from Munich, took up the theme of foreignness for her concert on the occasion of the finissage. It does not matter whether it is the home country or a foreign country. For composers, it is only the feeling that counts. To resolve this, they often choose folk tunes that find their way into their compositions and thus counter the feeling of foreignness with the roots of origin. With rarely performed works by Mussorgsky, Gershwin, Lutoslawski, Mompou, Martorell Miralles and Bela Bartok, she chose composers of the 20th century who all share the feeling of foreignness. With sound bowls alternating with the grand piano in blue light, she culminated the theme of strangeness and completely fascinated the audience. It was precisely this strangeness that opened new doors in the world of sound. Out of her own need, she closed the concert with one of her favorite pieces by Chopin in her encore. The way back was paved.

Photographer: Bernhard Simon