Laura Bruce
Martin John Callanan
Nick Crowe & Ian Rawlinson
Loreum Sophio Medoidze
Just press the handle
08 May 2022 – 05 June 2022
The title of the first exhibition, like the name of the gallery itself, is taken from the Brothers Grimm’s retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. The village of Wiepersdorf has a long-standing and complex relationship with the fairy tale, and we wanted to reflect this in the gallery’s name and identity.” In the fairy tale, the phrase “Just push the handle” is the wolf’s sly invitation to enter Grandma’s house. Here, it serves as an invitation to experience an exhibition that explores place and community, and the double bond created by exchange and social boundaries.
The raw ceramic figures of Berlin-based artist Laura Bruce form wandering social groups that gather on a low pedestal in the main space. They seem to form a world unto themselves. Alongside this, we present Sophio Medoidze’s 2019 work “Xitana.” Working between London and her hometown of Tbilisi, Medoidze presents a film about the social and ritual life of the Tush People, a group living in eastern Georgia. British critic Mike Sperlinger writes of the work: “We hear the horse’s snort, the gentle murmur of other people’s voices talking and laughing in the background. Everything changes, a little. A spell is lifted, or rather, a series of expectations is dispelled; the fairy tale makes way for something funnier and stranger.” In the projection room, we are showing a work by American artist Loreum, in which dance and an exhibition in a collapsing house become a lens for poverty and social decline in California. The house belonged to a childhood friend but later fell into disuse, became a crack den, and burned down. Amidst these ruins, Loreum presents his paintings, an act of both healing and mourning. Nick Crowe and Ian Rawlinson are showing their 2022 work “Partition.” Made from straw and waste paper briquettes, the work acts as a barrier between two spaces, inviting an encounter that considers the entanglements of place and history. To conclude the exhibition, we are proud to present the latest edition of “Wars During My Lifetime” by Scottish artist Martin John Callanan, an ongoing publication project that recently needed updating.
Also!!! Our friends at Schloss Wiepersdorf are opening an exhibition on the same day, so if you’re there on June 8th, please join us. If you come to our opening in May, you can also see the works of Sven Gatter, Badri Gubianuri, Andrea Pichl, David Polzin, and Heidi Sill in the studio house.
https://www.schloss-wiepersdorf.de/de/eventreader/offene-ateliers-2022.html