Roswitha Van Der Zander

Over four decades now, Roswitha van der Zander has created an extensive and demanding
work of sculptures and drawings and, to a smaller extent, paintings.
In the beginning, her sculptural work mainly deals with the human figure from a decided womans point of view, especially the way of looking at the naked male body.
From there on, two kinds of abstract works come into being, one by looking very close, concentrating on details (hands/ear/vulva), then developping further to organic forms in general, -
the other one by taking a more distant view looking at "the figure in the room" , then concentrating on the room itself and at last dealing with pure geometrical elements.
But there is no inconsistency, all her sculptures and reliefs are in connection. On the whole, abstract or figurative is not a question of style, but of different themes, all is done in her own characteristic monumental style.
Her sculptures are made of traditional materials like plaster or wood, but there isnt anything traditional in subject and message. Her sculptures and reliefs, based on real objects, which can be a snail shell as well as the human body, contain realistic, surreal and abstract elements. The ones, dealing with the image of men ar...

1953 born in Viersen/Germany
1973/74 studied mathematics at University of Karlsruhe
1974-79 studied sculpture and drawing at art college Karlsruhe
studied art science at University Karlsruhe

1977 Karlsruher Künstler, Badischer Kunstverein Karlsruhe
1978 „Frauen sehen Frauen“, Kreismuseum Syke
1978 Festhalle, Viersen
1979 Frauenausstellung, Kiliansmühle, Lünen
1980 „Tag für Tag – Künstler als Gewerkschaftler“, Künstlerhaus-Galerie, Karlsruhe
1980 Künstlerinnen stellen aus –zur Situation von Frauen“ , Künstlerhaus Karlsruhe
(auch Ausstellungsveranstalter, in Zusammenarbeit mit Sabine Finkbeiner)
1981 Künstlerhaus-Galerie, Karlsruhe
1982 Galerie Görlach, Walldorf (solo exhibition)
1982 Karlsruher Künstler, Künstlerhaus-Galerie, Karlsruhe
1982 Karlsruher Künstler, Hahnentorburg, Köln
1982 Ausstellung der Jahresgaben, Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe
1982 „Die Arbeitswelt im Spiegel der bildenden Kunst“, Künstlerhaus, Karlsruhe

1983 Galerie 2a, Viersen (solo exhibition
1983 Jahresausstellung Düsseldorfer Künstler, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf
1984 „50 Künstlerinnen aus Düsseldorf“, Frauenmuseum Bonn
1984 Jahresausstellung Düsseldorfer Künstler, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf
1984 „Wir- Einer- Andere“, Villa Engelhard, Düsseldorf
1984 Viersener Künstler, Städtische Galerie Viersen
1985 50-Tage Ausstellung, Villa Engelhard, Düsseldorf
1985 C.Nöckel/ R.Strach/R.van der Zan...