» By initiating the project BORN OF STONE, I traced my artistic steps in the heart of Matera, with the aim of capturing my impressions from the there present existential simplicity of life: The visitor perceives Matera today as a giant maze of alleys, caves and rupestrian churches, similar to an organism made of stone, sculpted by those people who have continued to live here for over 9000 years. This continuity of human settlement also constitutes its ancient backdrop. What I found in the Sassi are cold stone houses, abandoned and destroyed churches, ruined gorges and forgotten paths that tell of the inhabitants who once lived here. My intention is not only to create a contemporary portrait of the European Capital of Culture 2019, but also to display the unique atmosphere of this city, a mirror shown to modern people reminding them of their origins. «

> more information about »Born of Stone«...                     [Florian Köhler, June 2019]