In her exhibition Woman in Green at Bildraum 07, the artist Nika Kupyrova explores the figure of the sculptor Henrietta Savernake from the novel The Hollow by Agatha Christie. Inspired by the classic genre of documentaries about artists as well as ASMR clips from social media, Woman in Green is an exploration of the mythologisation of an artistic figure.

The Hollow by Agatha Christie from 1946 is a classic rural crime novel and yet, due to the multitude of female protagonists and the narrative driven by their psychology, an unusual novel for its time. Locked into their social roles, the women in The Hollow are expected to behave according to convention: the stunning Hollywood actress; the devoted wife; the whimsical, aristocratic lady of the house; the stubbornly independent clerk.

The key to solving the mystery is to realise that the characters’ real motivations are at odds with their assigned identities: The Hollow is a crime novel only at first glance – rather, the novel is a feminist social critique.

Choosing from this diversity of characters, the exhibition focuses on the figure of the sculptor Henrietta Savernake. By appropriating the parts of the novel that are Henrietta’s inner voice, her desire and failure to complete her sculpture, Woman in Green examines the image of a woman artist from an outside perspective. The moody, coffee-drinking, introspective Henrietta is observed, not only by the author of the novel and its readers, but now also by the exhibition visitors.

Speech by Kathrin Heinrich, art historian