MYTH OF SMOKE – Smoke sculptures by Sonja Keppler

In the ancient Orient, the beneficial and protective effects of incense were already appreciated. A lively trade in frankincense and other fragrances developed there, which also became known in Central Europe during the Middle Ages.

One of humanity's oldest texts, the Epic of Gilgamesh, describes incense burners containing bowls for burning frankincense, myrrh, cedarwood, and sweetcane. In ancient Egypt and Greece, where oracles played a significant role, special psychoactive substances were used. The preparation of these incense mixtures was reserved for the priests and priestesses in the temples.

It is said that the Romans and Celts used small incense burners containing scented woods and resins as grave goods.

The customs associated with the Rauhnächten (Twelve Nights) probably also originate from the incense ritual. Between Christmas and January 6, Epiphany, priests in predominantly Catholic areas would smoke incense into homes and stables, a tradition that has continued to this day, especially in the Alpine region.

The artist Sonja Keppler, born in Pforzheim in 1988, explores the myth of smoke and the aesthetics of sculpture in her work. The constantly changing interplay of the immaterial and the material underlies all of her seemingly archaic smoke sculptures.

In her choice of form and materials—bronze and ceramic—the artist draws inspiration from traditional incense burners. At the same time, she dissolves all boundaries and recognizable references to invent new, surprising, amorphous, and sensual forms.