Clara Fortis

I am an artist from Vienna, Austria, working in installation and sculpture. My work explores the complexities of communication, often drawing on psychological theories to examine the way we express ourselves and the way we’re heard. My thesis project includes two sculptures that speak to the physical and emotional struggle involved in being understood. The Posture of Hearing is a steel piece that positions the body in a kneeling pose, with hands cupped behind the ears. It is about the act of listening but also the discomfort and vulnerability that can come with it. In conversation with it is The Anatomy of Screaming, a work focusing on speech. It references the motion of vocal cords in the throat, capturing the intensity of the effort involved in trying to be heard. Together the two works reflect on the violence of exclusion and the tension between silence and expression. Through them I explore what it means to listen, to speak, and to long for connection in a world full of noise.