The exhibition BESTIA ET ANIMA (Animal and Soul) presents a world in which the boundaries between the archaic animal and the human soul are blurred. It explores the duality of wildness and interiority, of drive and reflection. It examines the deep-rooted and reciprocal connection between humans and animals, juxtaposing instinct and spirituality with intellect and reason. The selection of works represents an eclectic mix of media. Drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and digital installations engage in intense dialogues between the forces—sometimes untamed, sometimes controlled—that drive animal nature and the profound, often elusive essence of the soul. The artists interpret the idea of the BEAST not merely as an abstract, primal fear, shaped by childhood, but as an essential part of the self, thus challenging viewers to confront their own inner conflicts.
Tove Mauritzson studied art in Edinburgh and Stockholm and immediately afterwards attracted attention through numerous exhibitions at home and abroad, including the Galleri Torekov Konsthallen, Blå Hallen , Höganäs, Young Jamieson Fine Art, UK, The Drang Gallery , UK, Höganäs Museum och Konsthall, Krapperups Konsthall, and Galleri Duerr, Sweden.
Although the motifs, with their references to Swedish rural life, appear idyllic, there are disturbing twists that lead the viewer through dreamlike moments or contain bizarre details. The childlike perspective often appears awkward, exaggeratedly large or flat, and lacks depth. For example, when fish seem to float in the air, purple mushrooms grow from tabletops, or the coffee pot boils over with yellow blossoms. "After the Reins" also seems like a dream scenario in which the horse is finally free of all human paraphernalia. The surreal, kaleidoscopic panoramas often depict interiors where hunting dogs leisurely rummage among beaky porcelain figurines. But the perspectives are distorted when the threatening disorder of everyday life intrudes. Vacuum cleaners, tea bags, and stray children's belongings are relentlessly included between graceful period furniture and ornate candelabras. The events in the installation "Beat You to It" at the old schoolhouse are almost hallucinatory—a kind of commentary on the will to survive in the eternal food chain. The bee populations, which ultimately ensure our existence with their pollination mechanisms, are fragile and can be wiped out in a flash. And here the dog is already at work. Tove Mauritzson is represented by Galleri Duerr in Stockholm.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS
Roger Ballen *1950 (Photographer and object artist | Johannesburg, South Africa)
Michael von Brentano *1960 (Sculptor | Seeshaupt and Gaino, Italy)
Andreas Chwatal *1982 (Painter and draftsman | Burglengenfeld and New York)
Marcel Dzama *1974 (Draftsman and object artist | Winnipeg, Canada)
Leiko Ikemura *1951 (Painter and sculptor | Berlin and Cologne)
Tove Mauritzson *1976 (Painter | Viken, Sweden)
Aribert von Ostrowski *1991 (Painter and object artist | Berlin)
Boris Saccone *1991 (Painter | Munich)
Florian Süssmayr *1963 (Painter | Munich and Genoa, Italy)
Tamiko Thiel *1957 (Video and multimedia artist | Munich)
Alexandra Vogt *1970 (Painter and multimedia artist | Füssen and Monsanto, Portugal)
More information:
https://burg-ranfels.de/aktuell/aktuell/
The exhibition runs from June to October 2025 and can be viewed by appointment in writing or by phone. Registration at kontakt@burg-ranfels.de | +49 172 8511464