Olga Holzschuh lives and works in Cologne. In her practice, photography, sculpture, and performance are closely intertwined. Using ephemeral materials and variable techniques, she explores themes of instability, trace, index, as well as identity and the presence of the body.
Holzschuh graduated from Kunsthochschule Kassel with degrees in Fine Arts, Visual Communication, and Art Studies. She has participated in artist residencies in Istanbul and Brussels. Her work has been exhibited in various national and international venues, including Kunsthalle Münster (Germany), Ballon Rouge Gallery in Brussels (Belgium), Art Weekend Belgrade (Serbia), Temporary Gallery in Cologne (Germany), Eigen+Art Lab in Berlin (Germany), Koenig2 - Christine König Gallery in Vienna (Austria), Kasseler Kunstverein (Germany), and the Museum of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou (China). Her book hold on, featuring texts by Patrizia Dander and Juliane Duft, was recently published by Distanz Verlag.
During her residency in Kyoto, Holzschuh will continue her current research and expand it within the Eurasian context. She will investigate how ecological connections and conditions leave material traces in cultural and artistic production. A recurring motif will be the Sakura blossom, found in both traditional crafts and contemporary Japanese pop culture. Can these cultural products serve as archival documents for not only Japanese culture, art, and identity, but also for a changing or even dying flora? How might they evolve in the future? In Kyoto, Holzschuh will explore these questions while collaborating with researchers on Sakura, as well as with local artists and cultural producers, transforming her findings into sculptural forms and a distinct material language.
