Being Renée Sintenis
Being Renée Sintenis, 2022-2023, 4k video, 18:23 min., stereo sound
"Being Renée Sintenis" is a film project about the Berlin sculptor Renée Sintenis (1888–1965). As the androgynous role model of the "New Woman," she was at the center of the Berlin art scene and was considered the most photographed artist of the 1920s. As an artist, she dealt with animals and their representation throughout her life. Her small-format animal bronzes idealized naturalness as a field free of social attributions and thus hit the spirit of her time. Privately, she was considered introverted and deliberately avoided interpretation of her work.
In an interview, Sintenis empowers herself with her own narrative and deconstructs the image of the introverted role model that has been portrayed in several biographies. Embedded within the interview are moments resembling dream-like vignettes, shaped by the interplay of music and spoken words. This creates a rebus-like portrayal of the artist, enveloped in an enigmatic aura throughout her life. The utilization of props, costumes, and settings weaves a tapestry of art historical allusions from the 20th century.
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