Sibylle Pasche
Sibylle Pasche’s work is an inquiry into the purity of form, as rendered in Italian marble. This notable material—white, grey, black, with fine or swollen veins and porous, light brown travertine or grayish black dry slate–has fascinated artists for centuries, challenging them to evoke fluid expression despite the stone’s gravity and power. Marble is famous for the purity of its finely polished surfaces. Pasche’s rounded volumes, however, frequently involve the inclusion of raw, unpolished material as she explores the interior as well as the shapes the exterior form. The works are often spherical with imaginative and repetitive penetrations into the surface s. She hints at the interior, only barely revealing it. The apertures are beautifully textured and the surfaces pristine. Often the works evoke organic creatures, such as sea urchins or improbable shells. The sensuality of her sculptures is brought to a high pitch by the enduring beauty of the stone she employs.
Pasche was born in Switzerland and studied at the Liceo Artistico in Zurich, where she also taught sculpture. She maintains a studio in Switzerland and one in Carrara, Italy, where her work was shown in the XII International Biennale of Sculpture. Her work has been shown rarely in the United States, but in numerous venues in Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Germany, South Korea, and Taiwan.