1 Split Second

« The Zone doesn't symbolise anything [...] it's life, and as he makes his way across it a man may break down or he may come through» Andrei Tarkovsky Sculpting in time. In '1 Split Second' Sandra Hauser navigates those critical junctures in time—just before crying, jumping, or taking a decisive step—where all potential paths are still in our hands. This exhibition features objets trouvés, ready-mades, a video, paintings, sculptures, and drawings, alongside the use of kintsugi to address imperfections and brokenness. In line with her artistic practice, Hauser worked at the crossroads of process art, performance, and arte povera, after obsessively visiting a terrain filled with discarded ropes and other materials near her residence in Istres. This exhibition marks Sandra Hauser's first solo exhibition in France, and speaks to the fleeting yet critical junctures that have the power to significantly alter the course of our lives. Like the Gordian knots that Alexander the Great sliced through with his sword, in '1 Split Second,' Hauser embodies the idea that only bold action can untangle some situations—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. However, showing process-based art also means that we see the insecurities, ongoing research, and self-doubt in her work, exposed and vulnerable. But we also observe the determination of an artist who confronts her patterns of self-sabotage, angst, and paranoia, aiming to embrace more trust, community, and self-acceptance. This project isn’t about hope—but it could be about the ambition of unconventional living as an artist. It’s about cooperation, interspecies communication, resilience, and a heroine's journey. It's also angry and cheeky while being honest and generous. SELECT WORKS from 1 Split Second by Sandra Hauser ————————————————————————— Les Dettes Installation 2024: Ropes. Dimensions variable / “Les Dettes - preparing for the show” Video, GoPro4K. 1h40 “Les Dettes/Die Schulden” Pen on found wood, gold, glass. Coat. Artist’s cowgirl’s hat Hauser discovered the ropes in a wooded area near her residence. These large mounds of ropes quickly became an obsession, drawing her to their weathered condition, the mystery of the other objects surrounding them, and their elusive owner. She began detangling the ropes, a task much harder than it first seemed but ultimately cathartic. This challenge became a way for her to tackle otherwise unsolvable problems, such as the debt she accumulated to buy time as an artist. This situation also echoes the Gordian knot, a legend about King Gordius, a ruler of humble origins who tied his oxen yoke and car in a complex knot offered to Zeus. An oracle declared that whoever untied it would rule all Asia. Alexander the Great, cutting through the knot with his sword upon reaching Gordium, claimed this prophecy. This story illustrates that complex situations often require bold, decisive action. The video with the ropes is a docufiction depicting the durational performance of engaging with and transporting the ropes from Étang de Berre to Malmousque. It showcases Hauser's struggles, alone or with support from La Côte Provence’s community (in particular Christine and Stephan Kostropetsch), including its animals; her former gallerist and her son (Sandra and Eduard Bürgel); the curator; and La Traverse’s team. Wer zuletzt lacht (Bonnie McCarroll) [Who Laughs Last] (200x200cm). Linseed oil on found cardboard. 2018 Bonnie McCarroll (1897-1929) was a pioneering cowgirl who excelled as a bronc rider and became a star performer on the rodeo circuit, winning championships at prestigious venues such as Madison Square Garden and Cheyenne. This representation of Bonnie captures her at the pinnacle of her career in 1929—a split second before her life tragically ends in a rodeo accident. McCarroll was one of the first to establish women’s presence as competitors—not just as entertaining acts. However, following her death, women were not allowed to compete for about three decades. Wer zuletzt lacht - the inside of my brain version [Who Laughs Last] (242x194cm). Oil on historical linen. 2018 "Wer zuletzt lacht (Bonnie McCarroll)” was initially sketched on a piece of linen found in a vide grenier in Villemur sur Tarn until Hauser, one day, overwhelmed by thoughts of Bonnie's struggles as a feminist and cowgirl trying to assert herself in a male-dominated field and dying in a twist of fate, she channeled these emotions into the sketch, transforming it into "Wer zuletzt lacht - the inside of my brain version”. Together, the works reflect a duality—the exterior presentation of victory versus that of an internal turmoil—in echo of the challenges Bonnie faced and how we, too, present a polished facade to the world while hiding our internal struggles. Der Kern [the Core]
Totem sculpture. Found wood and pine needles. 2024 This piece is part of the performative series "Haram" (started in August 2022). The series captures a range of gestures through a WhatsApp group, mixed media works, video, and sculptures. "Haram" explores the doomed romance between a free-spirited female artist and a deeply traditional religious Muslim man. Abstract Trust Drawing (flower). Old frame, pencil on glass, found paper, linseed oil. 2024
This is not a framed drawing, it’s an object. Hauser found the frames and the green paper—on which she applied linseed oil—on the territory of the ropes. Trust is something Hauser has struggled with since childhood, and she connects this struggle to her desire to lean more into abstraction. Yet abstraction by itself, she laments, never seems to be enough. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Sandra Hauser (b.1983, Munich) studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich with Stephan Huber and Hans Op de Beeck, and at the University of the Arts in Berlin as a guest student with Gregor Schneider. After living and working in Rome and Berlin, she moved her studio to Munich and Istres in the South of France, where she has her outdoor studio, an old tennis court at the site La Côte Provence by Stephan and Christine Kostropetsch. Her work has been shown in institutions and galleries mainly in Germany, Belgium, and Italy, but also in other European countries. She has received working and project grants, among others, from the Kunstfond in Bonn, Steiner Stiftung München, the LfA Förderbank, KÖR Vienna (AT), the Bavarian State Ministry of Sciences, Research and the Arts, and the VG Bildkunst.