Ian Waelder

Lives and works in Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Artist statement

Ian Waelder (b. 1993, Madrid) is a Spanish artist and publisher raised in Mallorca, living between the island and Frankfurt am Main. He graduated in Fine Arts as a Meisterschüler under Prof. Haegue Yang from the Städelschule in 2023. His practice explores memory and trace by isolating archival fragments and language in relation to his biography, working through the poetics of the accident and the repurposing of the discarded. Informed by a deep engagement with archival fragments and language, he regularly employs ephemeral and discarded materials in order to examine gaps in historical narratives, the presence and absence of the body, and the psychological weight of what goes undocumented. Central to his work is an attention to how audiences navigate space: the hesitation, the encounter, and the moments when attention drifts, allowing each piece to acquire an autonomy that challenges its original intention and invites further perspectives to enter the work.

Artwork

• Hält Das / Will that last / Does that hold, 2026. Newspaper clippings on fabric ceiling and patio, dimmed lighting, uncovered wall marks and traces from previous installations. Various dimensions
• Breather (Insert), 2026. Air-dry porcelain, cardboard shoe inserts, glued tissue paper, pencil,
• Hand & Back (Lurking), Running Scene (Kid), Nose (Lurking), 2026. Plotter print on canvas with oil paint and acrylic paint, marker, covered with a layer of raw linen with stains of oil, detergent, glue, marker, diluted ink and pencil
• Sterben, 2026. Honey, orange tea leaves, edible flowers on newspaper (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, April 21st, 2024) Artglass AR 99 Water White, acid-free board, tape on Dibond, stainless steel
• Cadence, 2025. Cardboard floor and suspended cardboard ceiling, hanging LED tube light, irrigation system, waterproof piezo microphone, stereo track (4h 07 min) in loop. Site-specific dimensions.
• To Wait, 2025. Plywood, paint, wood filler, air-dry porcelain, hanger, tissue paper, linen shirt, dry-cleaning plastic bag
• Sneaker, 2025. Wooden shoe last, air-dry porcelain, wooden structure
• From Time To Time, 2023. Sound file playing in loop through hidden loudspeakers, two switched-on original Opel Olympia headlights from 1935, wiring system and turnbuckles. Variable dimensions.
• Self-Portrait As My Father's Nose, 2025. Façade installation of eight papier-mâché casts taken from a clay sculpture by Juan Waelder, the artist’s father. Coated with a mixture of fat, seeds, and agar-agar, intended to be eaten by birds and insects.
• Background Vehicle (Running Scene), 2025. Plotter print on canvas with marker, paint, covered with a layer of raw linen with marker, glue, detergent, oil, wall filler. Suspended 45 cm from the wall with metallic poles. Triptych.
• Thereafter (views part 1), 2025. Environment consisting of cardboard walls and floor, wall cutouts with plastic film, sound, light intervention, alteration of the main entrance. Site-specific dimensions.
• Thereafter (views part 2), 2025. Environment consisting of cardboard walls and floor, wall cutouts with plastic film, sound, light intervention, alteration of the main entrance. Site-specific dimensions.
• Mercy (Leak), 2025. Black tea leaves, butter, croissant, and oats on newspaper (Die Zeit, January 30, 2025), Artglass AR 99 Water White, acid free board, tape on Dibond, stainless steel
• All Of My Shoes (Tempo), 2025. Old brass door handle with traces of air-dry porcelain; cardboard shoe insert with beeswax, raw cardboard shoe insert, piezo microphones, water dripping system
• accompaniment (views part 1), 2025. Paper-mache, new and used piano keys, plastic film, air-dry porcelain, inkjet prints on paper, tape, switched-on light bulbs
• accompaniment (views part 2), 2025. Paper-mache, new and used piano keys, plastic film, air-dry porcelain, inkjet prints on paper, tape, switched-on light bulbs
• Installation views of the outdoor solo exhibition “Bystander (Moth Joke)” curated by Isabelle Tondre at Neuer Kunstverein, Gießen, 2024
• Part 1: installation views of the solo show “even in a language that is not your own”, 2023-2024, curated by Francesco Giaveri at Es Baluard Contemporary Art Museum, Palma, 2023. exhibition
• You Who Are The Stranger (Moth Joke), 2023. Door peephole on wall, accumulated fat stains from people’s faces on wall, muted video played on screen
• A Nose Is A Nose Is A Nose (The Streets Are Still The Same), 2023. Used sneaker, papier-mache, tissue paper, cardboard box and sheet of anti-reflective glass
• The Pianist (Something Remains),, 2023. MDF wood previously used as a table to sculpt clay, traces of clay, patinated mirrors, inkjet prints on acetate film, tape, air-dry porcelain
• Part 2: installation views of the solo show “even in a language that is not your own”, 2023-2024, curated by Francesco Giaveri at Es Baluard Contemporary Art Museum, Palma, 2023. exhibition
• Romantic Gestures (Assembly Line), 2022. Inkjet prints on acetate film, found metallic object