Insatiable

Inspiration

"When I surround myself with my collected objects and materials, it's as if I'm sitting in a three-dimensional sketchbook. It serves as a source of inspiration for my artistic work. This includes string, wire, stones, or other natural materials, but also pencil stubs or tools. In the broadest sense, they all have to do with lines. I also collect books, papers, and maps. Even as a child, I hoarded vast quantities of writing pads. I walk through the world with an open mind; the pieces mostly come to me by chance. They are neither sorted nor archived. I don't mind if something is forgotten. The objects all have different potential at different times. Depending on their combination, they inspire me differently. Therefore, it's important for me to put certain objects away in boxes or drawers from time to time and take out and rearrange others."

Sandra Kühne, artist (*1976), inspiring objects and materials, Zurich, sandrakuehne.ch

Murano glass

"As a collector, you are also a hunter, sometimes greedily. My favorite piece is always the last one I bought, and when I sell something, it always feels like I'm giving away my favorite. But that way, I make room for new things. My Murano glass collection now includes 500 rarities and another 2,000 pieces of good glass. I keep most of it in a warehouse. When I started collecting 30 years ago, I still focused on quantity. The more I read about the subject, the more selective I became. Murano glass is hard to find these days; the glass galleries and dealers no longer exist. Murano as a craft is dying out. International auction houses sometimes auction off entire estates. Rarities by Carlos Scarpa, Fulvio Bianconi, Thomas Stearns, and Yoichi Ohira, which once cost 200 Swiss francs, are now selling for insane prices of up to 750,000 Swiss francs. I can't compete with that."