Auction Exhibition: November 9-22, 2024
20th Annual Transformer Benefit Auction Gala: November 23, 2024
Gallery Hours: Weds – Sat, 12 – 5 PM
American University Katzen Arts Center
4400 Massachusetts Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20016
Diplomatic Chair: Ambassador Petra Schneebauer, Embassy of Austria
Honorary Chairs: Mera & Don Rubell, The Rubell Museum
*TRANSCENDENCE
Two of Marina Heintze’s Bone Planters are presented in the exhibition Transcendence; her series series confronts the stain of Antisemitism. For more info on her work please scroll down.
Transformer returns to American University’s Katzen Arts Center this November to present Transcendence, its 20th Annual Auction Exhibition & Benefit Gala. Opening November 9, Transcendence will feature over 150 unique artworks in the Katzen Rotunda, reflecting a diversity of emerging & established DC, national and international artists. Celebrating innovative contemporary art and artists that rise above the fray, the two-week long Transcendence exhibition culminates with its Benefit Gala on November 23rd. All artworks will be available for bidding via an online auction bidding platform, all with ‘buy now’ options available starting November 9. Further expanding Transformer’s robust International & Diplomatic Partnerships, they are collaborating with The Embassy of Austria this year, and to have Ambassador Petra Schneebauer as the Transcendence Auction Diplomatic Chair. Transformer will be featuring a special selection of Austrian artists’ artworks in Transcendence.
Transformer is further honored to have internationally renowned art collectors Mera & Don Rubell as Transcendence Honorary Chairs, and the support of a stellar Auction Gala Committee. All Transcendence artworks & experiences will be available for online viewing, bidding and ‘buy now’ options beginning November 9 via OneCause. All proceeds from Transcendence support Transformer and the participating artists. Transformer is honored to present a fully realized exhibition of all artworks in Transcendence at American University’s Katzen Arts Center via partnership with the College of Arts & Sciences’ Department of Art. The Transcendence exhibition will be open to the public November 9-22, 2024, with Transformer’s Benefit Gala at American University’s Katzen Arts Center on Saturday, November 23.
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This year, Transformer partnered with the Embassy of Austria and has internationally renowned art collectors Mera and Don Rubell as Transcendence Honorary Chairs.
Two of Marina Heintze’s Bone Planters are presented in the exhibition Transcendence. Two of these works are from the GENTIAN VIOLET/VIOLENCE series. These sculptural yet utilitarian planters are created by wrapping polymer bones with printed images of bacteria and viruses. The works use ‘Spirit paper’ embedded with Gentian Violet, a synthetic dye renowned for its brilliant purple stain and anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties. Gentian Violet, also known as crystal violet, has diverse applications: it is used by tattoo artists and plastic surgeons as a semi-permanent stencil and for marking skin, while in pathology and histology, it plays a crucial role in the ‘Gram Staining’ method. This process differentiates bacteria into Gram-positive or Gram-negative based on their cell wall properties, aiding in bacterial identification. THE BONE PLANTERS range in size from 17 to 25 inches tall and up to 33 inches wide in some places and are UV-protected for durability.
The GENTIAN VIOLET/VIOLENCE series confronts the stain of Antisemitism—a persistent disease or virus embedded in society. Today, Antisemitism spreads rapidly through the internet’s ‘pop culture of hate’, implanted in memes, trends, and language that normalize abhorrence and perpetuate violence. These symptomatic carriers hold the evidence of hate online and offline. The materials in this series are rich in symbolism. The bones wrapped in pathogenic images serve as a haunting reminder of the mass graves of the victims of the Shoah, including members of her own family—even when physical graves are absent. The pieces challenge stereotypes that cast Jews as carriers of disease, from the medieval Black Plague to blood libels to modern COVID-19 scapegoating. The intensity of the Gentian Violet color, used in pathology to expose the invisible, symbolizes the need to reveal and confront hatred that thrives beneath the surface. THE BONE PLANTERS are the Holocaust versions of Memento Mori. Reminders of the deep hate. These new cenotaph-like markers are meant to deter future reoccurrences while honoring the resilience and spirit of the Jewish people even in the face of devastating loss, such as the many pogroms, the Holocaust, and 10/7.
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Instagram handles @marinaheintze & @transformerdc
Transformer Website: https://www.transformerdc.org/transcendence
Marina’s PERSONAL WEBSITE; OTHER BONEPLANTERS AVAILABLE: https://www.marinaheintze.com/the-bone-planters