Hannah-Sophie Dunkelberg - RSVP, regrets only

RSVP, regrets only (2019) by Hannah Sophie Dunkelberg is a sculptural wall work that oscillates between material delicacy and conceptual restraint. Composed of acrylic glass layered with bird’s eye maple veneer, the work presents an irregular, softly contoured surface whose pale, translucent ground evokes skin, parchment, or a preserved fragment.

Embedded within this surface are organic, calligraphic cut-outs of wood. Their forms resist immediate legibility, hovering between script, symbol, and gesture. These marks suggest traces of language or memory that have been fixed in place, yet remain open to interpretation. The contrast between the warm, natural grain of the maple and the cool precision of acrylic glass heightens a tension between the handcrafted and the industrial, the intimate and the controlled.

The title, RSVP, regrets only, introduces a subtle conceptual irony. Commonly associated with social conventions and polite refusals, it hints at absence, omission, or a response defined by what is not present. This notion is echoed visually through the voids and interruptions in the surface, where meaning seems implied rather than declared.

With its modest scale and pronounced depth, the work asserts itself as an object rather than an image. It invites close viewing and quiet contemplation, rewarding attention to material detail, shadow, and edge. As a unique artwork, RSVP, regrets only exemplifies Dunkelberg’s nuanced exploration of language, materiality, and the fragile space between presence and withdrawal.

Hannah Sophie Dunkelberg is a contemporary German artist whose practice is rooted in material experimentation and a quiet, conceptually driven formal language. Working at the intersection of sculpture, wall object, and relief, she explores how meaning can emerge through restraint, reduction, and subtle shifts in surface and depth. Her works often feel both precise and vulnerable, balancing carefully controlled processes with organic irregularities that resist full rationalization.

Central to Dunkelberg’s practice is an interest in the threshold between language and abstraction. Signs, gestures, and fragments that resemble writing or symbols appear throughout her work, yet they remain intentionally unreadable. Rather than communicating directly, they function as traces or residues of thought, memory, or action. Materials such as acrylic glass, wood veneers, resins, and industrial components are chosen not only for their physical properties but also for their cultural associations. Transparency, layering, and cut-out forms create spatial ambiguity, inviting viewers to move closer and reconsider what is surface, what is depth, and what is absence.

Dunkelberg has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions at galleries and project spaces in Germany and across Europe. Her exhibitions have included presentations in contemporary art spaces in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Leipzig, as well as participation in curated group shows focusing on material-based and conceptual practices. In addition to gallery exhibitions, her work has been featured in art fairs and institutional contexts that foreground sculptural approaches to language and form. Through these exhibitions, Dunkelberg has established a consistent artistic position defined by precision, material sensitivity, and a quietly insistent conceptual clarity.