Hoffmann, Bettina

German, b. 1964

BiographyIn her 2004 video, Le Ronde Momentum, Hoffmann depicts a series of still, domestic moments. The camera slowly moves around her subjects who remain absolutely still. Though the camera is active and mobile, the stillness of the scene creates the sense that the viewer is looking at a singular paused moment, reminiscent of a diorama. As the scene rotates, new people and details are revealed, creating additional perspectives and complicating the original understanding of the moment. Playing with notions of family and relationships, the artist has created a sense of tension between the figures, alluding to possible emotional complications not directly present in the frame.

Bettina Hoffmann was born in Germany in 1964 and studied at the University of Fine Arts (Hochschule der Kunste) in Berlin (1985-1992) as well as at the California Institute of Arts in Los Angeles (1989-1990). Her work has been exhibited internationally, including exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, the Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art in Toronto, The Kristi Engle Gallery in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Museum of Art, and the Seoul International Photography Festival in South Korea. She is the recipient of several grants, including a research and production grant from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quebec, a grant from the Municipal Office of Cultural Affairs in Berlin, and a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. Her work is in the collections of the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Canada, and the Berlinische Galerie in Berlin, Germany. She currently lives and works in Canada.