Anselm Kiefer Into the Golden Crucible
By Je Mi-ran
Arriving in Milan to encounter the female alchemists summoned by Anselm Kiefer, this exhibition serves as a grand gesture of bringing back to light those who lived through the era of alchemy yet remained shrouded in historical darkness. Spanning 42 masterworks, the exhibition honors 38 female alchemists who practiced across Europe from the Middle Ages to the 17th century. As custodians of ancient wisdom encompassing nature, fire, the earth, and life itself, these women were true pioneers in medicine, herbalism, and botany—though their contributions were long relegated to the margins of history.
Names written in luminous gold script—Caterina Sforza, Isabella Cortese, Sophie Brahe, Madame d'Aublin—appear one by one across giant canvases reaching six meters high, resurrecting their lost presence and identities. The figures’ poses and objects function as unique symbols reflecting their inner lives and lived experiences. Some stroll among wild flora or hold sunflowers in meditative stances. From a lifted navel, as if levitating in space, sacred plants spring forth; another figure leaps dynamically across a rugged field. The surfaces boil and float like turquoise and purple thermal baths, while thousands of rose petals scatter gracefully across the expansive compositions.
