Renate BERTLMANN Austrian, b. 1943
Perlenbraut (Pearl bride), 1983/2019
Pacifier mask, veil, devotional pearl object in glass case
235 x 86.5 x 38 cm
Perlenbraut is the ultimate realisation of a decade’s worth of work into the ‘Bride’ by Bertlmann. Presented as an anonymous face, wearing a found veil and tiara adorned with white...
Perlenbraut is the ultimate realisation of a decade’s worth of work into the ‘Bride’ by Bertlmann. Presented as an anonymous face, wearing a found veil and tiara adorned with white beads and blue flowers, Bertlmann alludes to the upcoming “deflowering” of the Virgin bride.
Contained within a glass-fronted display case, Bertlmann critiques the historical marriage ceremony, where the woman is presented as an object to be bought and acquired.
The mask, decorated with latex, pacifiers, and glitter, was used in earlier performances dating from 1976 (Tender Christ (1976); Pregnant Bride in Wheelchair (1978); Nothing About You Scares Me... (1981)).
Contained within a glass-fronted display case, Bertlmann critiques the historical marriage ceremony, where the woman is presented as an object to be bought and acquired.
The mask, decorated with latex, pacifiers, and glitter, was used in earlier performances dating from 1976 (Tender Christ (1976); Pregnant Bride in Wheelchair (1978); Nothing About You Scares Me... (1981)).
Exhibitions
2019_'Hier ruht meine Zärtlichkeit [Here lies my Tenderness]', Landesgalerie Niederösterreich (State Gallery of Lower Austria), Krems, 25 May - 29 September 2019.
Literature
Hier ruht meine Zärtlichkeit [Here rests my Tenderness]. exhibition catalogue. Landesgalerie Niederösterreich, Krems, (May —September 2019), pp. 77-84.Renate Bertlmann. London: Prestel, 2016. Illus. page 132.