Still Points and Shared Shapes
Mindy Solomon is pleased to present the first solo exhibition and second showing of the work of Marie Herwald Hermann. Still Points and Shared Shapes, acts as both an anchor and an ecosystem. Working between the distinct creative landscapes of Copenhagen and Chicago, she synthesizes a minimal aesthetic that serves as a profound celebration of the “Unspectacular” — the invisible, necessary maintenance of daily domestic existence.
Hermann invites the viewer to look down, look closer, and listen to the quietest frequencies of our lives. Through an intimate orchestration of clay, wood, glass, resin, and silicone, Hermann constructs an imaginary world that simultaneously embraces and denies utility. These objects do not demand to be used, yet they are haunted by the memory of use. They map out what the artist calls a “library of choreography” — the repetitive, automatic human movements of placing, adjusting, and replacing objects that hold our private worlds together. These are not religious rituals or grand performances of self-care; they are the baseline habits born of necessity, the silent underpinnings that keep life stable so that more spectacular events can occur. The structural pulse of Still Points and Shared Shapes lies in its radical commitment to connection. Hermann fundamentally rejects the idea of the isolated object. Within her practice, no form exists in a vacuum. Instead, she approaches her work as an “arranger,” cutting specific snapshots out of a timeline in constant flux.
This philosophy is mirrored in her linguistic choices: Hermann frequently employs the word “and” in her titles. This simple conjunction acts as a visual and conceptual hinge, insisting that every object is relational, tied permanently to the piece before it and the piece after it. Her compositions behave like sentences. A hand-carved wooden object, a ceramic shelf, or a translucent silicone fragment are individual words; when grouped, they establish a grammar of form, shifting in meaning and weight based on their proximity to one another. Crucially, these objects remain unfixed to their ceramic supports. They occupy their current positions tentatively, carrying a heavy sense of potential energy. By keeping the pieces loose, Hermann infuses the gallery with a quiet vulnerability. The installation is a temporary physical memory of one specific choice, yet it honors a hundred other scenarios that could have played out across time. This fluidity stands in sharp, intentional contrast to a consumer culture obsessed with rigid performance and flawless, static self-presentation. Furthering this dialogue are her silicone mirrors, imaginary, delicate, and translucent barriers that act as shields. They invite the viewer to reconsider vulnerability not as a weakness, but as a site of immense structural strength. Coupled with custom wallpaper, wall paint, and screens, Hermann binds her objects directly to the architecture of the gallery, utilizing the space much like a book cover that holds a sequence of stanzas together.
Still Points and Shared Shapes is an invitation to pause and participate in a shared syntax of reflection. By pairing diverse media with poetic spacing, Hermann elevates the ordinary into an elegant choreography, proving that the most profound structures in life are often found in the quiet spaces between things.
About Marie H Hermann
Marie Herwald Hermann received her MFA from the Royal College of Art in London in 2009 and a BFA from the University of Westminster in 2003. Solo exhibitions include Compound and Bridges, Broadway Gallery, NY 2025, Lines and Parallels, Rebecca Camacho, 2025. And the walls became the world all around, Reyes Finn Gallery, Detroit, 2021, USA, Bit by bit above the edge of things, Paris, London, Hong Kong, 2019, Chicago, and A Gentle Blow to the Rock, Gallerie NeC, Hong Kong, 2014. Hermann has participated in numerous group exhibitions in the USA, Denmark, Italy, China, Sweden, and Germany, including Craft Front & Center, Museum of Art and Design, NY. 99 cents, Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit, Another Look at Detroit, Marianne Boesky Gallery in collaboration with Marlborough Chelsea, New York.
Her work is represented in the collections of Musée des Arts Décoratifs, The Art Institute of Chicago, The
Danish Art Foundation, The Denver Art Museum, France, Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum, Norway, Museum of Art and Design, New York. Cranbrook Art Museum, MI. The Jingdezhen Ceramic Art Museum, China, and The Rothschild Collection, Waddesdon Manor, UK. Hermann was awarded the 2013 Kresge Artist Fellowship and the Danish Art Foundation 3-year grant in 2014. She served as a board member at Pewabic from 2017 to 2024. She is currently an Associate Professor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
