Andrea Wilmsen

(German, b. 1970; resides in Chicago, IL)

Berlin and Chicago-based photographer Andrea Wilmsen challenges our perception of interiors in her photographs of the Bode-Museum in Germany. Her focus varies from fragmented views of architectural details to carefully composed close-up details of empty walls, creating unique portraits of the museum and attempting to capture the character of this institution. Wilmsen is inspired by the American philosopher and art critic Arthur C. Danto and his 1981 book titled The Transfiguration of the Commonplace, which questions what makes an object a work of art. Yet, she takes the question further and is driven to uncover what makes art spaces special stages for prestigious artworks. She poses the question: if the curators of the Bode-Museum were to display her photographs of otherwise-forgettable corners and decorative moldings (that rarely include artworks within the frame) as close as possible to the spaces in which they were taken, would we perceive the space differently? Wilmsen is driven by how we prioritize certain works of art over others, and further, where the boundaries lie between what we consider art and what is visible outside of the works that are established as art in a museum.

Andrea Wilmsen studied communication science and photography at Neue Schule für Fotografie in Berlin. In 2017 she gained a scholarship for photography from the University of Fine Arts in Salzburg to study with Valérie Jouve. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at the European Month of Photography, Le Festival Voices Off des Recontres d´Arles, Goethe Institute in Los Angeles, Villa Aurora in Pacific Palisades, and she has been featured in art and architecture magazines.

https://www.andreawilmsen.com/