Congratulations on being selected as a “Selected Artist” for the 9th Chianciano Biennale 2026 in Tuscany. Your bronze sculpture “ARES” will be on display there. What inspired this work, and why did you name it after the Greek god of war?
Marita Vollborn: Thank you. “ARES” is a very personal yet highly timely piece. Although it was created in 2015, it feels as if it was made for today’s world. The sculpture embodies militarism, violence, and above all the greed for profit that lies behind many conflicts. More than 80 million deaths in two world wars were apparently not enough to stop the arms race and the incitement to war. Ares represents the destructive force of war — not as a heroic figure, but as a stark warning of human ambivalence: how easily power, greed, and ideology turn into violence.
The sculpture depicts a powerful, menacing body that radiates this raw, unrestrained energy. In an era of geopolitical tensions and ongoing wars, it is meant to provoke reflection: Who actually profits from this? It is not a simple anti-war message, but an examination of the deeper mechanisms — the systematic exploitation of conflicts by the powerful.
You address the profit-driven greed of many powerful figures. How do you see the role of art in critiquing such social grievances, especially beyond commercial interests?
Marita Vollborn: Art must come before commerce — “Critical Art Comes Before Commerce” is one of my guiding principles. As a former investigative journalist who has written books about the “health mafia,” the food industry, consumer manipulation, and social injustices, I know how difficult it is to place critical content in a commercialized environment. Many powerful actors profit from war, environmental destruction, or social division. Art has the freedom to make the unspeakable visible where words alone are often censored or ignored.
The challenge is that the art market itself is commercial. Galleries, collectors, and biennales often demand pleasing, decorative works. I resist this by creating figurative, expressive sculptures that directly confront conflicts and human ambivalence — strength and weakness, power and guilt. “ARES” is an example: it is not “beautiful” in the classical sense, but confrontational. It challenges the viewer instead of merely entertaining them. That can be demanding, but it is necessary.
Let’s talk about your overall body of work. Since 2010 you have been working on the project “Sinn und Scherben®” (Sense and Shards). Can you tell us more about it?
Marita Vollborn: “Sinn und Scherben” comprises around 50 unique clay and bronze sculptures that explore the full spectrum of human experience: pain, joy, courage, love, loss, and societal contradictions. It began as a counterpoint to my journalistic work. As a science and economics journalist, I work with facts and precise language. In sculpture, I let go — I work intuitively with my hands and shape what cannot, or will not, be fully put into words.
Many pieces address human fragility and strength. One example is a sculpture of a woman after a mastectomy, standing proudly — a symbol of courage and self-confidence despite loss. Or “Hass-Schrift” (Hate Writing): an open book with spikes and blades, showing how knowledge or ideologies can sow hatred. The sculptures are made from fragile clay (sometimes paper porcelain) and partially cast in robust bronze — a material dialectic that connects fragility and permanence.
This is complemented by digital extensions: NFTs from the project as well as “ZEITGEIST91,” a collection of photographs from the time of German reunification and the early years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, which I see as both historical documents and artistic reflections. My biography — growing up in the GDR under censorship and experiencing the peaceful revolution of 1989 — shapes everything. For me, art is a means of making social grievances visible and fostering dialogue without submitting to the dictates of the market.
What hopes do you associate with presenting “ARES” in Chianciano?
Marita Vollborn: I hope the sculpture will spark conversations in the international atmosphere of the Biennale. Art can build bridges and encourage people to reflect on war, greed, and human responsibility — beyond national borders and commercial interests. In a turbulent world, such warnings are needed more than ever. And perhaps “ARES” reminds us that we are not only victims or perpetrators, but above all capable of change and compassion.
Thank you very much for the conversation, Ms. Vollborn. Best of luck in Chianciano!
