Sebastian Lemm

As a photo-based artist, I see myself as the link between two realities—the one outside  of the camera and the one that begins once the photograph has been taken. Rather than documenting or ‘capturing the moment,’ I want to show what is not immediately visible.

My work is informed by nature in a broad sense. Visually, I am fascinated by seemingly random structures in the natural environment and I see parallels to patterns or events in  my own life. Taking a more wide-ranging definition of nature, I am attracted to subtleties  of human interactions, the subconscious and physics’ theories about dimensions that are outside of our perception. Although these ideas may not be inherently obvious in my images, they do have a significant impact on my artistic process.

Apart from experiences in my own life, inspiration for my work comes from concepts of Romanticism especially those of Caspar David Friedrich, texts by Edmund Burke (about '‘Sublime and Beautiful’), Gilles Deleuze (‘Rhizome) and Roland Barthes ('Camera Lucida') among others.

cv

2000 to present Lives and works in New York, NY
1999 MFA equivalent, high honors, UdK, Berlin University of the Arts, Germany
1995 BFA equivalent, UdK, Berlin University of the Arts, Germany

born in Berlin, Germany

solo shows

2008
• Editing Nature, Michael Mazzeo Gallery, New York, NY
• schattenseite, David Weinberg Gallery, Chicago, IL
2004
• lapse, with a performance of johannes wieland, Diane von Furstenberg, New York
2000
• t.s.e., Vitrine Sutstein, Berlin, Germany

selected group shows

2009
• Clair Oliver Gallery, Nurture Art Benefit Auction, New York, NY
• CCNY Annual Benefit Auction, Calumet Photographic, New York, NY
• Arbor, Michael Mazzeo Gallery, New York, NY
• Center for Photography at Woodstock, Live Benefit Auction, Woodstock, NY
• Transmutations – abstraction in nature, Michael Mazzeo Gallery, New York, NY
• Art ! Fair, Michael Mazzeo Gallery, New York, NY
2008
• Nurture Art's curated Benefit Auction, James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY
• CCNY's curated Benefit Auction, Calumet Gallery, New York, NY
• How I spent my Summer Vacation, Michael Mazzeo Gallery, New York, NY
• Between Worlds, Curious Matter, Jersey City, NJ
• Grace, Michael Mazzeo Gallery, New York, NY
• Enantiomorphic Chamber, Nurture Art, Brooklyn, NY
2007
• Threshold, CCNY, curated by Christine Callahan, NY
• Benefit auction, CCNY at Michael Mazzeo Gallery, New York, NY
• Locations of Elsewhere, curated by Leah Oates, Michael Mazzeo Gallery, New York, NY
• Method: contemporary abstract photography, Ellen Curlee Gallery , St. Louis, MO
• LACE's 28th Annual Auction , LACE Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, LA, CA
2006
• Landscapes Re-Imagined, Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York, NY
• progressive coma, collaboration with Johannes Wieland, Ailey Theatre, New York, NY
• Chashama Fall Gala Auction, Chashama Gallery, New York, NY
• Chashama Residency Show, Pine Plains, NY
• SPRAWL, Bank, Los Angeles, CA
• Out of Context, Art OMI, Columbia County, NY (through June 2007)
• Nurturing the Edge (benefit show for Nurture Art), CUE Art Foundation, New York
• Build, Platform Gallery, Seattle, WA
2005
• Night of 1,000 Drawings (benefit show), Artists Space, New York, NY
• Ornament (benefit show), P.S.122 Gallery, New York, NY
• New Directions 05, curator: Steven Evans (Dia:Beacon), Barrett Art Center, NY,
• Untitled Landscapes, AG Gallery, curated by Mokomoko, Brooklyn, NY
• Pearl, Tsunami benefit auction, Dante's Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2004
• Tomorrow, curated by Anne Barlow (New Museum), New York Hall of Science, NY
• Unframed First Look, curated by Adam Fuss, Jack Pierson and Cindy Sherman,
• Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, NY
• BART, Lush, New York, NY
• Rhythm/Language, Twig, New York, NY
2003
• fairytale, Twig, New York, NY
2001
• DDD Gallery, washable column of names, curated by Holger Matthies, Osaka, Japan
1999
• Stadtbibliothek, washable column of names, curator: Rayan Abdullah, Berlin, Germany
• SOMA Gallery, curator: Mark Giannori, Berlin, Germany

lectures and talks

ICP, International Center of Photography, New York, NY
Michael Mazzeo Gallery, New York, NY
David Weinberg Gallery, Chicago (organized by Goethe Institut, Chicago)
Goethe Institut, New York (with Gregory Volk)
New York University, New York, NY
UdK, Berlin University of the Arts

awards

2008 Hasselblad Masters Award (semi finalist)
2006 Chashama Artist Residency, Pine Plains, NY
2000 International Output Award
1999 100 Best Posters, first prize, Germany
1999 International Output Award
1998 International Output Award