For its second exhibition, Bruce Haines Mayfair is delighted to present a collection of recent works by the acclaimed German sculptor Markus Karstieß.

The show is comprised of three parts: his signature Memento Mori platinum and gold-glazed ‘vases’ from The Doe Family series, each of which holds a dedicated flower that slowly perishes during the course of the exhibition; ceramic casts of 4,000-year-old ‘cup and ring’ marks, a form of prehistoric art which he discovered while living in Northumberland and entitled the Stoner series, and Studio Peel Off III, an intricate, large-scale wall relief which the artist cast directly from his studio floor, its elaborate beauty belying its humble origins.

Says gallery director, Bruce Haines: ‘A master of the vagaries and skills of working with clay, Karstieß freely acknowledges his antecedents, Rosemarie Trockel and Lucio Fontana, in his expressive, often Rorschach-based sculptures. Eschewing recent ironic takes on ceramics in 20th century art, far from being hidebound by his extraordinary knowledge of the material, he pushes the mechanics of clay to its limits while keeping the forms of his work remarkably simple and poignant.’