Current report about the finissage

Dance Farewell to Bottle Art (Report by Winfried Ehling)

Visitors at the Holzfasskeller in Hammelburg experienced a very special finissage: To conclude the wine bottle art exhibition, there was pole dancing.

The exhibition “Art in Glass” by the Kissinger artist Petra Markert continues. It has been on display in the Holzfasskeller every Friday since early December. As the exhibition comes to a close, the glass designer reflects positively on the visitor response. Her presentation is based on the idea of ​​using glass as a material and light to arouse the curiosity of the viewer and gain recognition for this art form. “I have achieved that,” she concludes from occasional visits to the winery cellar and the opinions of art-interested guests. “Sales and orders are not a priority at the moment. The acceptance of this art style was important to me – and establishing it as a link between wine and art,” emphasizes Markert.

This seems to have been successful, as there are already initial inquiries, especially from wine producers and wine shops, for the frequently used wine bottles as art-moderated everyday objects such as bowls, candle holders, or table decorations – but also for the imaginative, colorful glass pictures. “I hope it continues like this,” says the artist, who can already book some first appointments.

For the finissage, the head of the local GWF branch office, Stefan Merz, welcomed the designer, her companions, and guests. “Even the ancient Egyptians knew the connection between palate and visual pleasure, between wine and dance,” he announced. Wait, dance? That was the surprise at the end: the premiere performance of Markert’s daughter Marie, which she gave to her mother. The audience was amazed when the young performer showed off her pole dancing skills, a form of dance generally associated with the red-light milieu. The artistic expression of so-called pole dance is less familiar. However, this sport has also established itself in Germany. The German Pole Sport Association even organizes championships.

Pole dance originated from traditional Asian acrobatics. The use of the pole allows for special figures during the dance, which seemingly defy gravity and leave the viewers in disbelief, as Marie Markert impressively demonstrated. Mastering the body on the pole requires specific knowledge and training.
The 25-year-old Marie started ballet dancing during her architecture studies, gradually incorporating pole dancing. “With my dance, Traum (Dream), I want to show the aesthetics of pole dancing and remove the often preconceived, purely erotic aspect,” she explains. In a costume matching the green of the wine bottles, she gave a captivating performance, which was met with thunderous applause from the audience.

Marie Markert has been practicing this dance art for three and a half years. “My hands and my skin hold me on the pole,” she informs. This means that as much skin as possible must be exposed to the pole to adhere to it.

Overall, it was a successful finissage, an experience not every visitor encounters every day.

A heartfelt thank you to Winfried Ehling for providing the report and photos for publication on my homepage.

*Copyrights for the report and images belong to the author of the report, Winfried Ehling.

Link to the report on www.infranken.de

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