NZZ x pamela rosenkranz screen-printed mirrors depict animalistic patterns

Pamela Rosenkranz partners with nzz

Swiss platform NZZ has partnered with artist Pamela Rosenkranz to create 30 unique screen-printed mirrors, titled Anamazon (Reflection). The serial edition also features a printed collection of 70, dubbed Pattern Tension (Screening). These two artworks that build on Rosenkranz’s exploration of the relationship between nature and culture. She reflects on the internet-driven mindset of her generation, drawing inspiration from the daily and constant flow of images and information. Her painting on mirrors speaks to this introspective approach and incorporates the Japanese Kirigami technique to craft intricate designs based on reptile and fish patterns. These patterns, easily recognizable due to human evolution, are mirrored back to us, connecting nature with our own reflection.

Anamazon (Reflection), 2024 | acrylic screen print on mirror, unique piece from a series of 30, with plexiglass frame: 42.7 x 30.4 x 4.5 cm | image courtesy NZZ

screen-printed mirrors exploring nature and culture

In an interview by journalist Benedict Neff, Pamela Rosenkranz elaborates on this connection between nature and human culture by stating: ‘Artificiality suggests that there is something that is outside of nature. But that doesn’t exist. We can actually only create natural things. […] Art is natural. As intelligent beings, humans can create art, at least when things are going reasonably well for them.’ Her latest collaboration with the NZZ platform further exemplifies her views. The unique serial pieces reveal different color tones applied to the mirror tones by hand using the screen printing process, resulting in widely different patterns and tracings. To emphasize the prints’ ephemeral quality, the artist framed each mirror in wood with a shadow gap to create the illusion of floating.

Anamazon (Reflection), 2024 | acrylic screen print on mirror, unique piece from a series of 30, with plexiglass frame: 42.7 x 30.4 x 4.5 cm | image courtesy NZZ

The screen print edition, Pattern Tension (Screening), particularly spotlights the kind of stimuli that have triggered deeply rooted reactions in people since prehistoric times. Based on her Pattern Tension series, this piece thematizes the tabby patterning of cat fur, often associated today with sexiness and sensual attraction. The stripes and patterns emerge from a complex evolutionary process, where the animal’s fur mimics the interplay of light and shadow in its natural environment for camouflage. Pamela Rosenkranz expands on this concept through screen printing, a technique she has previously used. She applies acrylic paint in layers onto glossy silver paper, creating a textured, multi-layered design evoking three-dimensionality. Both Pattern Tension (Screening) and Anamazon (Reflection) are now available to purchase on the NZZ Shop.

Pattern Tension (Screening), 2024 | screen print on silver paper, edition of 70 copies, unframed: 42 × 29.7 cm | image courtesy NZZ