Paper Art I: Sculptures - Groups - Video
Xenia has made this series of paper sculptures during different creative periods. Her main focus here is on social and political issues. Her latest work, a group of figures representing clones, ties directly into a series of paintings in 2004. Now the clones at first glance seem to look quite funny, however they actually deliver a haunting message.
Paper Art II: Sculptures - Couples - Video
Here the artist applies collage techniques to paper sculptures. Xenia arranged figures in pairs which grow out of one mutual body thus expressing feelings of solidarity and attachment. Xenia also combines two separate figures into one sculpture.
Paper Art III: Sculptures - Visionary Beings - Gallery - Video
With this series of paper figures Xenia even takes a step forward. Here the sculpture itself is turned into a collage. So she created visionary, surreal creatures with unnaturally sized bodily parts. Some members can be seen at unusual places or are even replaced with technical devices.
Paper Art IV - Weltschmerz - Sculptures: Gallery - Video
Paper Art IV - Weltschmerz - Collagen: Gallery
This is Xenia's latest series "Weltschmerz" with heads and collages made from newsprint. Here the artist expresses processes impressions of her everyday life. By listening to the daily news, reading the papers, by events and incidents she witnesses herself, the artist is well aware of the misery in the world and the suffering of so many people. All this is the cause of Weltschmerz Xenia expresses in her work especially by using deformations, duplications and interactions with her sculptures and collages.
Paper Sculptures: Schnabelmenschen - the missing link - Gallery - Videos
Foto: Giulio Coscia
These sculptures - made from newspapers - are human-like birds or bird-like
humans - here called "Schnabelmenschen
- the missing link" - referring to the duck billed platypus. They bring
to mind the fact that it is a matter of impossibility to escape our destiny.
Those human-like figures who dream of soaring up, of getting away from
earthbound fate actually have wings, but obviously they are of no use for
them. On the other hand, the more bird-like figures, who distinctly and
visibly have some human attributes, which, however, are of a mixed blessing,
as they do not enable them to take off. So both remain flightless beings,
somehow a kind of missing link, intermediary forms of life that illustrate
an evolutionary transition, here symbolizing the inner conflict in feeling
and thinking as part of our nature.
see also Roman Matton's article in The Kaselehlie Press - The
Australian Platypus in Modern Art
The Global Citizen Art Project
Foto: Giulio Coscia
Recently Xenia more and more turned to creating figures from newsprint.
In 2005 she started work at her famous Global Citizen Project.
Newspaper sculptures representing all the countries in the world.
More information on Global Citizen Website
The WORLD PRESS ART Project is also part of the Global Citizen Art Project,
here the artist artistically designed newspapers from almost 200 countries
to point out the far reaching consequences of globalisation. Video -
World Press Art
The Epigonians - Gallery - Video
Foto: Giulio Coscia
Xenia Marita Riebe's "Epigonians" are sculptures from newsprint
symbolising future people - former earthlings - who had to leave
their uninhabitable planet to live a wretched life on
a distant planet called Epigonia.
The Global Warming Art Project
This is the artist's interpretation of the global climate crisis. A collection of weather charts over the past 30 years served as material for a dozen of expressive figures. In addition to these sculptures she created collages and information panels. This project has been presented - among other locations - at the Head Office of the Deutscher Wetterdienst (German Meterological Office) in Offenbach near Frankfurt. Some life-size figures have been acquired by the DWD and are now shown in the public library.
More information on Global Warming Art Website (German)
Life size paper sculptures for the Oratorian Scenario "Zilverstad" - Videos
Shown at the Zagreb Music Biennale as part of Oratorian Scenario "Zilverstad
by Miro Dobrowolny several life size figures expressed the gloomy atmosphere
of this tender subject.