Christina Stahr

My work is based on the concepts and techniques of collage. I assemble, glue, sew and knit found and recycled papers, wrappers, plastics, fabrics and gold leaf into collages, free-hanging textiles and installations. Abstract and minimal in their overall composition, my work combines recognizable fragments of cultural significance with segments of personal meaning.An artist and a scholar, my work is inspired by the history of art, historic sites, biology and ecology, and is based on extensive research and interpretation as I seek to make material, symbolic and ecological connections visible.
Working increasingly with found and recycled materials, my more recent work is being made direct response to the ecological degradation of our planet in the modern era. In my current studio practice these existential concerns are expressed in works that include plastics and discarded packaging that is visually alluring yet manufactured expressly to be discarded. Among my projects are free-form draped works made from recycled textiles embellished with product wrappers, wall-mounted works knit with discarded plastic bags and sewn paper collages based on pandemic maps of corona virus clusters.
My collages, site-specific installations and mixed media works have been presented internationally in solo and group exhibitions. My work is in private, corporate and museum collections. I live and work in New York City.

Exhibitions & Press

Solo Exhibitions2015 - Selected Work, The Zuckerman Mind, Brain, Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY
2013 - Great Falls, a site specific installation, Art Factory, Paterson, NJ
2011 - Rose Window for Peace, Golden Hall, Benedictine Monastery, Krakow, Poland
2010 - Labyrinth, Brooks Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
2010 - Project for a Rose Window, traveling exhibition installed in Maria Laach Abbey, Andernach, Germany, and Martfelder Kapelle, Essen, Germany
2009 - Theobroma Cacao, Installation, Koeln Messe/AHO Fine Art, Cologne, Germany
2008 - Illumination, Abtei Brauweiler, Pulheim-Brauweiler, Germany
2007 - Chocolate Obsession Collages, Guest Artist, The Chocolate Show, New York, NY
2006 - Under-Over, New York Fashion Week, Metropolitan Pavilion, New York, NY
2005 - Chocolate Obsession Collages, Schokoladenmuseum, Cologne, Germany
2005 - Chocolate Obsession Collages, Galerie Horstmann-Osterloh, Cologne, Germany
2005 - Collage Series, Art Vitam Gallery, Wynwood Art District, Miami, FL
2002 - Breast, Audubon Center Gallery - Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY
2002 - Collages, Sugar Hill Art Center, Harlem, New York, NYSelected Group Exhibitions2022 - Selections; Luxurious Living, curated by Anne Carson, Central Park Tower, New York, NY
2020 - Art Off-Screen, Neumeraki, New York City, curated by Eileen Jeng. International exhibition of art visible from the street during the pandemic closures
2018 - Cast a Clear Light; The Carol Cole Collection, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC
2016 - Red Tape Labyrinth; Immigration Meditation, Art in Odd Places; RACE Festival, 14th Street, New York, NY
2015 - Red Tape Labyrinth for Tieman Place, West Harlem Art Coalition installation, New York, NY
2015 - Wish You Were Here; A Postcard Benefit, A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, New York
2014 - Chocolate Collages, Madelyn Jordon Fine Art, Scarsdale, NY
2014 - Flora, Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Brattleboro, VT
2013 - Prague International Contemporary Art Fair, Brooks Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
2013 - Fabrications; The Textile Show, Art Factory, Paterson, NJ
2012 - Wreath Interpretations, The Arsenal Gallery, New York, NY
2012 - 10 squared; 100 Ways of Looking at the World, Leroy Nieman Arts Center, Harlem, NY
2012 - Further Than, NuEdge Gallery, Montreal, QC, Canada
2012 - Wish You Were Here; A Postcard Benefit, A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, New York
2012 - Women in the Arts, Leroy Nieman Arts Center, Harlem, NY
2011 - The Decade Show: An Anniversary Exhibition, Madelyn Jordan Fine Art, Scarsdale, NY
2011 - Dazzeled Frazzeled, NuEdge Gallery, Montreal, QC, Canada
2011 - Selected Works, artHarlem; Harlem Open Art StudioTour, emcArts, New York, NY
2011 - Wish You Were Here; A Postcard Benefit, A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, New York
2011 - Power and Beauty, curated by Misha McGlown, Café One Gallery, Harlem, New York
2011 - (dis)located, curated by Alyssa Fridgen, Art for Change Gallery, Harlem, NY
2011 - Rhythm & Movement, NuEdge Gallery, Montreal, QC, Canada
2011 - Labyrinths, Postcrypt Art Gallery, Columbia University, New York, NY
2010 - Gateway: An Artistic Response to the Immigration Crisis, Art for Change Gallery, Harlem, New York
2010 - Hacia Afuera, Art for Change Gallery, Harlem, New York
2010 - A World without Borders, World Peace Forum Exhibition, Schengen, Luxemburg
2010 - Studio Show, artHarlem; Harlem Open Art StudioTour, New York, NY
2010 - Prague International Contemporary Art Fair, Brooks Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
2009 - From Beyond the Horizon, Brooks Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
2009 - A Book About Death, Emily Harvey Gallery and Foundation, SoHo, New York
2009 - Prague Encounters, Czech Baroque Foundation/Brooks Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
2009 - Studio Show, artHarlem, Harlem Open Art StudioTour, New York, NY
2009 - Thinking Inside of the Box, The Gallery in the E.H. Hereford University Center, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX
2009 - Prague International Contemporary Art Fair, Brooks Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
2009 - Go Ganesha Go Projects, Contemporary Art Center Famagusta Gate, Nicosia, Cyprus
2009 - Seeing Jazz, curated by Gwen Black, Manchester Craftmen’s Guild, Pittsburgh, PA
2009 - Collages, Gallery Utstallningssalongen, Stockholm, Sweden
2009 - New Work, NuEdge Gallery, Montreal, QC, Canada
2008 - MoMA Staff Art Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
2008 - Evolution;The Changing Face of Harlem, curated by Misha McGlown, Russ Berrie Gallery Space/ Columbia University, New York, NY
2008 - Recent Work, curated by Gina Fuentes-Walker, Hamilton Landmark Gallery, artHarlem, New York, NY
2008 - Portraits in Blue, curated by Gwen Black, Clinton Hill Art Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2008 - New Work, Galerie Horstmann-Osterloh, Cologne, Germany
2008 - artHarlem Spring Exhibition, Casa Frela Gallery, New York, NY
2007 - Studio Show, artHarlem, Harlem Open Art StudioTour, New York, NY
2007 - Sustenance, NEXTGallery, Metropolitan College, New York, NY
2007 - Illumination, KunstTage Rhein-Erft, Abtei Brauweiler, Pulheim-Brauweiler, Germany
2007 - A Harlem Summer, 737 Townhouse Gallery, Harlem, New York, NY
2007 - 20/21 International Art Fair - Art on Paper, (Art Vitam Gallery), London, England
2007 - Kreuze für die Kreuzeskirche, curated by Mario von Lüttichau, Kreuzeskirche, Essen, Germany
2006 - Studio Show, artHarlem, Harlem Open Art StudioTour, New York, NY
2006 - Jazz Textures, art exhibition curated by Gwen Black, JVC Jazz Festival Art Exhibition, , Harlem, NY
2006 - Works on Paper, Galerie Horstmann Osterloh, Cologne, Germany
2006 - MoMA Staff Art Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
2005 - Chocolate Walk, The Chocolate Show, Metropolitan Pavilion, New York, NY
2005 - Jazz Reflections, Art Exhibition, Part I, curated by Gwen Black, JVC Jazz Festival Art, Morris- Jumel Mansion, Harlem, New York, NY
2005 - Jazz Reflections, Art Exhibition, Part II, curated by Gwen Black, JVC Jazz Festival, Zzaj Gallery, Harlem, New York, NY
2005 - Summer Show, Simmons Gallery, Harlem, New York, NY
2005 - Sisterhood, curated by Gwen Black, Globe Institute, Tribeca, New York, NY.
2005 - Christina Stahr Collages, Rootchi Gallery, New York, NY
2005 - Studio Show, artHarlem Harlem Open Art StudioTour, New York, NY
2004 - Selections, Art Institute of New York, Tribeca, New York, NY
2004 - KunstSalon, Galerie Horstmann Osterloh, Cologne, Germany
2004 - Group Show, Phoebe Gallery and Café, Bushwick, New York, NY
2002 - Night of 1,000 Drawings, Artists Space, New York, NY
2001 - Works on Paper, The Park Avenue Armory/Samson Fine Arts, New York, NY
2001 - Gallery Artists, Sugar Hill Art Gallery, Harlem, New York, NY
2001 - Night of 1,000 Drawings, Artists Space, New York, NY
2001 - MoMA Staff Art Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
1998 - MoMA Staff Art Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NYSelected Articles and ReviewsA Monument to Henrietta Lacks in Union Square and Other Art in Odd Places, by Allison Meier,
Hyperallergic.com, October 11, 2016, https://hyperallergic.com/329020/art-in-odd-places-2016-examines-race/?utmsource=sumome&utmmedium=email&utmcampaign=sumomeshareFlora; A Celebration of Flowers in Contemporary Art, curated by Mara Williams, Exhibits, Brattleboro Museum and Art Center Newsletter, Vermont, Spring 2014A lively New Life for Paterson’s Old Mills, by Lindy Washburn, The Record, North Jersey, May 26,
2013Marienfenster für Polen Verbinden Europa, by Jutta Kruft, Wochenspiegel, November 2010Ein Marienfenster für Polen, by Sonja Freer, Blick Aktuell, November 21, 2010Ein Marienfenster für Polen von der Künstlerin Christina Stahr, by Andrea Horstmann Osterloh, DKG
Journal der Deutsch Kanadischen Gesellschaft, Ausgabe 4, 2010New Kid on the Block, by S. di Falco, TORO Magazine, http://www.toromagazine.com, 08.14.2009Christina Stahr in Nordrhein-Westfalen, by Thomas Schaefer, www.essenz-magazin.de, Essen, 3/2008MSK Mitglieder zu Gast in der Abtei Brauweiler, Magazin der Deutschen Krebshilfe, Nr. 2, 2008Werke für den Kapitelsaal, Pulheimer Wochenende, Köln, July 9, 2008Die Spiritualität des Lichts, by Dieter Wolf, Rhein-Erft Rundschau, June 18, 2008Christina Stahr in Köln - DKG Journal der Deutsch Kanadischen Gesellschaft, Ausgabe 2, 2008Tag des offenen Denkmals, Rheinisches Amt für Denkmalpfege, Abtei Brauweiler, September 2007Breites Spektrum zeitgenössischer Kunst, by Hanna Styrie, Rhein-Erft Rundschau, August 31, 2007111 Kreuze für 110 Kirchen-Jahre, Neue Ruhr Zeitung, December 2, 2006111 Kreuze für 110-jährige Kirche, Borbecker Nachrichten, November 30, 2006Künstlerische Inspiration, European Aluminium Foil Association, Newsletter 25
Düsseldorf, Fall 2006Essen zeigt 111Kunstkreuze, by epd, Neue Ruhr Zeitung, November 29, 2006Kreuze sollen Kirche stützen, by Dirk Aschendorf, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, Dec. 1, 2006Chocolate Obsession im Imhoff-Stollwerk-Museum, Köln, GDA Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie Jahresbericht 2005/2006, Düsseldorf, Fall 2006Süsse Obsession, Chokoladenseiten, Aachen, Fall/Winter 2006The Great New Show MoMA Doesn’t Want You to See, by Sarah Schmerler, The New York Times, New York, February 19, 2006Gaumenfreuden auf Papier: Chocolate Obsession Collages im Schokomuseum Köln, by Annika Wind, Wortgestöber, http://www.wortgestoeber.de, 24 January, 2006Die Schokoladenkunst; Christina Stahr im Schokoladenmuseum und bei der Chocolate Show New York, SG Sweets Global Network Magazine, Berlin, December, 2005Collagen aus Schokoladen Einwicklern, SG Sweets Global Network Magazine, Berlin, November, 2005Versessen nach dem Zauber eines Materials; Die Ausstellung ‘Chocolate Obsessions’ von Christina Stahr in Köln, by Anne Siebertz, Wirtschaftswetter, http://www.wirtschaftswetter.de, 10.11.05Inszenierung mit süßen Hüllen, by Kendra Stenzel, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Köln, October, 2005Verlockung, Lebensart, Leben und Einkaufen in Köln, Magazin Köln, Fall/Winter 2005‘Magic in the Darkroom’ Photography Workshop, by Andre Esguerra, Clinton Chronicle, New York, July, 2005‘Magic in the Darkroom’ Workshop sponsored by Art for Healing, New York, by Saundra R. Halberstram, Midtown West Business Association News, New York, Spring/Summer, 2005‘Collage Series’ una muestra de vitalidad en Art Vitam, by Carlos M. Luis, El Nuevo Herald - The Miami Herald, Miami, Jan. 30, 2005Current Art Shows: Collage Series, by Franklin Einspruch, Miami New Times, Miami, Jan. 20, 2005CollectionsChocoladenfabriken Lindt & Sprüngli GmbH, Aachen, Germany
Nacional de Chocolates S.A. Santander, Bogota, Columbia
Amcor Flexibles Europe A/S, Bristol, United Kingdom
Freundeskreis der Abtei Brauweiler, Pulheim, Germany
Rhein Erft Kreis, Cologne, Germany
FluxMuseum, Fort Worth, Texas
Spintech Engineering, Cologne, Germany
Private collections in the USA, Canada, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Sweden

Trail (Thank You For Shopping Here), 2026 (35 x 31 in). Knitted used plastic bags, cotton thread.

Fall, 2023, 48 x 48 inches (122 x 122 cm). Sewn Collage of gold leaf on paper, package wrappers, aluminum on metallic silk organza.

Great Falls, 2013. Organza, ribbons, mylar, threads. 40 ft h x 10 ft w. Installation, Art Factory, Paterson, NJ.A site-specific installation in the drying vaults of a former textile mill in Paterson, New Jersey, in the historic industrial area surrounding the Great Falls waterfall of the Passaic River whose force originally powered the machinery.
Sewn from two vertical panels of paper-like organza fabric in the exact proportions of the waterfall, red silk ribbons and gold Mylar strands pour from the center seam. The translucent lightweight fabric contrasts with the rough surface of the rock face into which the factory is built. The reflective luminosity of the materials introduces a shimmering lightness as it descends from a great height. The slightest drafts create billows evoking tumbling water.
This installation refers to the Great Falls as well as to the fall of the local textile industry and labor rights.

Lactogenesis Collages
A series of delicate layered paper collages exploring the theme of lactogenesis, the extraordinary biological process that transforms blood into milk - within the breast.
Layers of transparent and translucent papers allude to the mysterious beauty and complexity of the arteries and ducts beneath the skin. Centripetal compositions of fine lines, acrylic paint and gold leaf are drawn and applied onto and beneath layers of fragile milky-white tissue papers, fabrics and vellum. The sensuous tactility of these works contrasts with their abstract geometric configuration overlaying a circle onto a square.

Lactogenesis Collage
One Left, 30 x 30 in 2000. Kozo paper, acrylic, drawing on canvas

Lactogenesis Collage
Scan, acrylic, drawing, kozo paper on card stock, 10 x10 in (25 x 25 cm)

Contact

Christina Stahr
www.christinastahr.com
[email protected]