Ostrale 012, ‘Homegrown’ International Exhibition, Dresden, Germany, 13th July-16th Sept 2012.

Ostrale is an international exhibition supported by public and private European funding bodies. Key was invited to make a submission for the panel of curators for the International Exhibition, hosted in Dresden, Ostrale 012 by artist/curator Dr Martin Müller (having also been selected for Ostrale 010). Five works were selected by the panel and exhibited in the main venue; Ostragehege. Key’s submission of work responded to the theme of Ostrale 012 ‘Homegrown’ with paintings that developed ambiguous figurative imagery, with a particular suggestion towards what appears to be nurturing behavior. Employing anthropomorphic imagery to allude to human activities and characteristics, this work developed ideas that Key has been researching (postdoctorally) since 2008. The Ostragehege venue is the old slaughterhouse in Dresden (featured in the cult novel Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut). Key’s work for this exhibition continued to develop her postdoctoral research, begun in a body of work called Walter’s Attic (see Walter's Attic: Paintings by Sarah R Key catalogue for exhibition at The City Gallery, Leicester, 25 August-5 September 2009: ISBN 978-0-9554095-6-1) which uses anthropomorphic imagery within formal flat painted grounds. There is a further development, using architectural forms to explore ambiguous contexts for both the figurative elements and the spatial relationships within the work. With appropriation including imagery from WWII and being suggestive of domestic and commercial environments, the context of Key’s selected work was informed by the particular resonance of the Ostragehege venue and the exhibition’s thematic arc. With associated events, performances, and seminars, Ostrale over runs the City of Dresden in multiple venues: Every year for two months the OSTRALE invites national and international artists to take part in a remarkable event at a historical site. The curatorial focus is the relation between tradition and innovation. http://artdaily.com/news/56534/OSTRALE-012--Contemporary-Arts-and-international-statements-in-the-city-of-Dresden#.UjqxXuDV1UQ