Hands are central to Anna Riess’s practice—not only as tools of creation but as recurring motifs. In some pieces, they appear sculpted and stylized, referencing gestures, care, and connection. The inclusion of detailed nail designs nods to cultural rituals of self-expression, beauty, and identity—rituals often coded as feminine and dismissed as superficial, yet rich in symbolic meaning.

Hands also speak to the idea of community—of reaching out, holding on, building together. Through interlinked gestures and forms that seem to long for contact, these objects reflect on human closeness and collective strength, even in their stillness.

The viewer is invited to reflect: When does something useful become art? Can decoration hold emotional weight? And do we still need to separate what is beautiful from what is functional—or might the two be inseparable?

This artwork was featured in the exhibition “Surrealist Salon: Fever Dream”, curated by Olena Iegorova during Zurich Art Weekend in June 2025, where Anna Riess collaborated with Katharina Husslein.

Anna Riess is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural anthropologist based in Vienna. Her work explores themes of embodiment, emotion, and interbodily relations through materials like clay, metal, and textiles. Deeply influenced by her experience of motherhood, she transforms everyday objects into symbolic forms - one of her gestures she describes as the “nippelization of the everyday.”

Riess is the co-founder of the Clayground retreat and the creator of Circle of Clay, a workshop series she has led at institutions such as the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna or the Hotel Kai36 in Graz. Her workshops invite participants—regardless of prior experience—to develop their own sculptural language through hands-on engagement with clay.

Her sculptural objects possess a strong visual identity and tactile presence, marked by a recognizable aesthetic and a willingness to push the boundaries of material behavior. Especially drawn to the tactility of clay, Riess explores how movement and fluidity can be captured in form—leaving the trace of the hand visible in its hardened state. With a strong interest in local materials and interdisciplinary exchange, her practice bridges artistic, social, and ecological concerns in both conceptual and applied ways.