The exhibition et al. by Tenant of Culture at
Kunstverein Dresden explores the origins, meaning, and potential of the
workshop as a physical and social space. Historically, the workshop was the
main site of production before the industrial revolution accelerated and
decentralized production processes with the expansion of factories. Workshops
were often situated in the domestic space; the production of textiles and
garments especially took place around the house and was done mostly by women.
Various techniques—from spinning wool and weaving to pattern cutting, stitching
and decorating—found their place in these home workshops.
Today, the processes of production have been largely compartmentalized and
outsourced to a global network of manufacturers. A complex system of unequal power
structures has emerged, supported by trade exemptions and other
state-sanctioned accords. The consumption of mass-produced goods seems to flow
smoothly, but it requires extensive natural resources and workforce capacity,
producing vast amounts of waste. These processes are messy, dirty, and often
present ethical concerns. Yet, they leave no traces on the surfaces of the
objects that result, from clothing to everything else.
The deconstruction and reconstruction of garments present comprehensible approaches
for tracing these manufacturing and distribution processes and making them
visible. In her exhibition et al., Tenant of Culture systematically
combines elements that are usually kept separate: the production and the
presentation of art, as well as the spheres where artists and the public
operate. With this in mind, Tenant of Culture employs a modular display that is
both a functional structure for workshops and a spatial intervention. Movable
clothing rails, tables, and the torsos of discarded mannequins are sculptural
gestures as well as practical resources for draping and manipulating textiles.
The exhibition is experienced in several, equally important, stages, which stem
from Kunstverein Dresden’s specific spatial and social environments. It begins
with the installation: the exhibition display as a formal and practical
starting point, a kind of infrastructure on standby, which is accompanied by an
open call asking for clothing to be donated. The donated, discarded garments
become the material for recycling processes undertaken during a workshop series
with local audiences, who question the object’s original use and definition
through their reinterpretation, fundamentally challenging cycles of value
attribution and devaluation. At the same time, this collaborative stage bears
witness to a general longing for contact and dialogue, which have been limited
due to the pandemic. The results of the workshops are then incorporated into
the exhibition as a core element, complicating questions of artistic authorship.
After this phase of presenting and sharing a final chapter of dispersal
follows, in which all objects created will be distributed locally, given away,
repurposed, or returned, marking the formal end of the exhibition. However, the
people, relationships, and objects involved will continue to circulate in
different meaning and commodity contexts.
Tenant of Culture is the artistic practice of Hendrickje Schimmel (*1990
Arnhem, the Netherlands, based in London). After receiving her B. A. in fashion
design from the ArtEZ School of the Arts Arnhem and a M. A. in textiles from
the Royal College of Art London, Tenant of Culture realized solo shows at
Sophie Tappeiner (Vienna, 2021), Fons Welter (Amsterdam), Fries Museum
(Leeuwarden), and Soft Opening (London; all 2020) as well as clearview.ltd
(London, 2017). Tenant of Culture recently received the Camden Arts Centre
Emerging Art Prize that is combined with a solo exhibition at the institution
in 2022.
Curator: Nele Kaczmarek