Bonner Rundschau 28. Februar 2026
Generalanzeiger 20.Januar 2026
I have to admit that I was excited to write about your images. While on the surface they appear quite simple, there are volumes to be discussed about the implications of what you are sharing. As I mentioned, there is something wonderfully disarming about your photographs. Given the spare circumstances of each scene, the images elicit a certain simplicity: after all, they are cloth draped over furniture, with very little else to consider as part of the narrative. Yet it is exactly that simplicity that invites the viewer to dive deeper into the ideas of what you are presenting. And if the images were not crafted as well as you have done, perhaps they wouldn't demand further digestion. But the lighting, the staging, and the other technical aspects of your work indicate that these are scenes worth spending time with. Once I am there, I spend time with each piece of linen. I am reminded that, like cutlery, the designs on the linen probably have very specific origins and meaning: much like the familial lineage that can be found in a coat of arms or the stamp in a wax seal, my guess is that the patterns and weave in each piece bears particular significance to an artisan or factory that was producing that type of work. Of course, dialing into such details also prompts the contemporary viewer to engage in a comparison: are there similar nuances available today? Can we tell the difference between something purchased at Target or at Ikea? And if so, are the differences fewer than before? Also, what does it feel like to know something was made, by hand, in a small shop versus in a massive factory? There are countless narratives one could formulate in their head. So, there is nothing I would recommend to change about the photographs other than perhaps including more, and submitting them as a series. As single images, I don't feel these images will be understood. But as a series, the aggregate forms an idea/narrative that bears exploring further. I do recommend revisiting the statement. I look at photographs every day, 365 days a year. And I feel like I have a relatively trained way of knowing how to interrogate and dive into images. But many people don't do this for a living. And therefore, they may not make the associations and connections that I described above. So, even if you don't agree with what I suggested, perhaps you can find your own set of observations and/or questions to write about and spur your audience. The statement is an opportunity to help draw your audience into spaces they may not immediately explore. All the while, I would be cautious about telling your viewer exactly what to see. You want to offer a space for them to do their own thinking...
There's so much to say about this project, Ellen. And again, that's one of the great strengths of what you have done: by taking something apparently simple, you have opened up a world of possibility.
Thank you for sharing these images and wishing you all the best of luck.
p.s. since you are continuing this project, I would be conscious of creating an even, and diverse (or not) mixture of objects on which you pose the linens--i.e. different chairs, tables, beds, etc.
https://ga.de/news/kultur-und-medien/regional/ausstellung-in-bonn-ida-dehmel-im-frauenmuseum_aid-142067509
Bonner Rundschau 10. Juli 2025
Heidrun Wirth schreibt zu den Bildern von Ellen R. Dornhaus: ...Sie würdigt das Wasser in einem schlichten, aber umso eindringlicheren Stilleben mit dem Titel "Wasser und Brot" ....
In ihrer Einführung zur Vernissage schreibt sie: Ellen Dornhaus nobilitiert das Wasser ganz auf ihre Art, sie bindet es in ihren fotografischen Arbeiten in ein Stillleben ein oder lässt es sprudelnd über eine scharfe Messerklinge laufen, auch hier wieder Ruhe und Bewegung.
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Gartenelegie
Was war, was ist, was wird sein,
das ist der Titel der neuen Ausstellung, die ab 10. November 2023 im Haus an der Redoute, zu sehen ist.
Gezeigt werden zahlreiche Werke der beiden Künstlerinnen aus Bad Godesberg. Durch das Zusammenspiel der beiden Künstlerinnen wird das Thema Garten aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven beleuchtet. Gemeinsam soll es uns gelingen das Thema sprachlich und inhaltlich zu erweitern und zu vertiefen. Durch die künstlerische Kombination von Fotografie und bildgewordener Sprache fließt das gedankliche Umfeld zum Thema Garten in das Konzept mit ein und macht die Präsentation noch anschaulicher.
Die Kunstwerke von Dornhaus und Eichen können noch bis zum 3. Dezember 2023, jeweils mittwochs bis sonntags von 14 bis 18 Uhr, im Haus an der Redoute, Kurfürstenallee 1a, Bad Godesberg, besichtigt werden. Der Eintritt ist frei. Die Vernissage findet am Donnerstag, den 9. November 2023 um 18 Uhr im Haus an der Redoute statt. Nach der Begrüßung durch die stellvertretende Bezirksbürgermeisterin von Bad Godesberg, Elke Melzer, führen die Künstlerinnen selbst in die Ausstellung ein.
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