In the works of Birgit Brinkmann, it is not only in the making of objects that discoveries are materialized and confirmed. Admittedly, these are fascinating in many ways in their own right; some through grotesque contradictions between the materiality and the function or through their sheer dimensions, others through outstandingly aesthetic forms that can be grasped both visually and through touch, and still others through the extremely original, sometimes bizarre alienations of familiar objects. All testify to the high degree of craftsmanship involved. And if these objects were assembled in one room, then it would resemble a cabinet of curiosities or the prop warehouse of a playhouse dedicated to absurd theater:

A monstrous loader entitled Fahrlader (2017) made entirely of Styrofoam packaging on a scale of 1:1, like those used underground in mines to clear away piles of rubble. A nimble “Ape” (Piaggio 2015), also fashioned from Styrofoam, the busy bee, the ubiquitous three-wheeled delivery vehicle in Italy, single-seat audaciously curved vehicle cabins, horned sitting balls on runners, stilts for diving and flying, genteel walking sticks gliding on balls, artfully sewn plastic gloves for fishing, a refrigerator made of gray, polished concrete, pedestals consisting of hinged polystyrene panels that can be joined together to form small mountain ranges, transparent masks that distort the gaze, dripping sculptures of garishly colored ice cream, high-heeled platforms for women's shoes, bizarre transport helmets for carrying loads, an ensemble of huge, beautifully cast gently curved vases, multi-seated benches whose futuristic, ingenious shapes locate the occupants in various relationships to one another, and finally, a room-filling wall relief of organic-looking elements. The vases, seating and the relief could be regarded as independent, aesthetically sophisticated sculptures that detached from functional connotations, refer to each other in their homogeneous and unmistakable formal language.

Most of Birgit Brinkmann’s objects need to be embedded in a structured environment, in a pre-existing reality, in order to fully develop, so as to bring about what only art can do: namely to make it possible to experience sensually what is difficult, if not impossible, to convey in rational language, to make something recognizable for which there are as yet no words. It is only in the relationship to a selected environment that the artifact she conceives finds its role as a guide, as a catalyst for discoveries - discoveries that change the perception of the artifact together with its surrounding world in a way that is both lasting and surprising.

And some of the objects constructed by Birgit Brinkmann only attain their meaning when they invite other people to participate in actions. These then open up unexpected new views of seemingly familiar things. Anyone who engages with Birgit Brinkmann's actions and encounters them with humor will, largely unconsciously, appropriate her world of thought in which reality and utopia are united in a sometimes wittily ironic way.

Birgit Brinkmann's art is not intended for exhibition spaces alone. Even photographs and films cannot convey what must be experienced. Birgit Brinkmann's work method is more like a way of life and her art is inextricably linked to fleeting time.

That is why curiosity and completion are essential for the creative process and the interaction with Birgit Brinkmann's works. And whenever doubts arise about their meaningfulness, that's where wit, humor and irony come in handy, that's where the acknowledgement of transience and the momentary joy of discovery help. Anyone who can appreciate this strategy for coping with existential problems will find what they are looking for in this book about Birgit Brinkmann's voyages of discovery.