ELLI WAHL'S METAMORPHOSIS 2025, Elli Wahl

Elli Wahl — Metamorphosis

convert / transFIGURE / transFORM / transMOGRIFY / transMUTE / transPOSE
Presented as part of the duo exhibition with Ingrid Uys

 

In Metamorphosis, Elli Wahl presents an evocative body of work that contemplates transformation as an enduring state of being. Her paintings emerge from darkness and gesture toward light, tracing the delicate balance between dissolution and formation, concealment and revelation.

 

Wahl’s creative process begins in abstraction, where paint moves with instinctive rhythm and intuition guides the evolution of form. From this depth, figures and symbols gradually surface, suspended between what is seen and what is felt. The recurring presence of the African dung beetle, Scarabaeus satyrus, guided by the stars of the Milky Way, becomes a profound emblem of endurance and regeneration. It stands as both mythic companion and mirror, reflecting the human journey through darkness toward clarity.

  • Each work carries the quiet pulse of transmutation. Through the layering and removal of pigment, Wahl explores the perpetual cycle...
    Each work carries the quiet pulse of transmutation. Through the layering and removal of pigment, Wahl explores the perpetual cycle of becoming and unbecoming. Her figures inhabit an intermediary realm, both human and spiritual, vulnerable yet resolute. The tension between obscurity and illumination reveals her deep engagement with the material and metaphysical nature of existence.

  • Each work carries the quiet pulse of transmutation. Through the layering and removal of pigment, Wahl explores the perpetual cycle of becoming and unbecoming. Her figures inhabit an intermediary realm, both human and spiritual, vulnerable yet resolute. The tension between obscurity and illumination reveals her deep engagement with the material and metaphysical nature of existence.

     

    In Metamorphosis, transformation is neither beginning nor end but an unbroken continuum. Wahl invites the viewer into this space of unfolding, where change is not something to be resolved but something to be lived. Her work offers a contemplative meditation on presence, resilience, and the beauty that emerges from within shadow and light.

  • In Metamorphosis, transformation is neither beginning nor end but an unbroken continuum. Wahl invites the viewer into this space of unfolding, where change is not something to be resolved but something to be lived. Her work offers a contemplative meditation on presence, resilience, and the beauty that emerges from within shadow and light.
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    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).