Luis Maria Sulzmann, A trap well laid at G10, Darmstadt

“A trap well laid” by Luis Maria Sulzmann, curated by Carolina Madde, at G10, Darmstadt, 11.04.2025–23.05.2025.

Exhibition Text:
The exhibition A Trap Well Laid by Luis Maria Sulzmann brings together various objects used in beekeeping businesses. These are tools and equipment for honey production that have been perfected over centuries to maximize yields. This capitalist and industrial approach views nature and living creatures as quantifiable resources, whose enhanced performance is expected to generate predictable growth and profit.

Through the absence of insects, G10 Projektraum becomes a resonating chamber for the buzzing and eager activity of bees. Sulzmann questions the common human perspective, the anthropocentric point of view, and opens new fields of vision concerning an endangered group of insects.

The works presented in G10 are reminiscent of readymades, industrially manufactured objects removed from their original context and presented as artworks without modification. A beehive modeled by Sulzmann is based on a historical and scientific 19th-century design. This model revolutionized beekeeping with its modular structure, allowing beekeepers to intervene directly and observe the honeycombs. It is surprising that this device is still in use today—it seems to signal a return to older practices.

While contemporary technologies are evolving so rapidly it’s almost impossible to keep up, time appears to have stood still for the beehive; its form remains pre-industrial and pre-technological.

Sulzmann’s presentation appears objective. It is reminiscent of scientific textbooks, which promote a rational understanding of broader contexts while allowing for emotional detachment. However, upon closer inspection, unequal power dynamics are exposed: humans exploit nature as a resource for economic gain, repeatedly undermining the fundamental principles of life.