02 may 2023, Flor Linckens
Joana Schneider: craft, sustainability and experiment
Until 15 July, Rademakers Gallery in Amsterdam presents a solo exhibition with work by Joana Schneider. Her playful, colourful and sculptural work is marked by sustainability, experimentation and a deep respect for traditional craftsmanship.
When the German artist moved from Munich to The Hague, she immediately fell in love with the sea, ppurely because she had rarely seen it before then. She started studying fashion at the Royal Academy of Art, but could not immediately find her footing. When she discovered the 'Textile and Fashion' course at the same institute, the pieces started to fall into place and in 2018 Schneider graduated as a textile designer, the starting point for her artistic career.
Joana Schneider, Saturday Night Fever Dream, 2023, Rademakers Gallery
In the harbour, she became more familiar with the nets that were being used by the fishermen. She was surprised to find that these ropes and nets are only in use for two weeks, to be thrown away after that. She decided to specialise in processing the heavy, stiff material and has since developed various techniques for that. She enlisted the help of fishermen and craftsmen in Scheveningen and Katwijk, who introduced her to their unique knotting and weaving techniques. She then combines these techniques with contemporary techniques and other crafts such as traditional roofing with thatch. For her graduation project at the KABK, Schneider received the Keep an Eye Textile & Fashion Award.
Schneider's work conveys a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, for the creativity of people who work with their hands. Indirectly, she also plays with gender norms, by combining “feminine” materials (textiles) and physically demanding “masculine” crafts. The raw yet flexible material is a guiding factor in her practice. Schneider makes large works of old fishing rope and recycled yarn that is made from old PET bottles. It is a very labour-intensive process: some works require as many as thirty thousand stitches! When Schneider edits the material, her background in textile design comes to the fore. For example, she’ll use techniques such as embroidery and passementerie and techniques used for making tapestries. Her practice is also developing in a technical sense: Schneider has been experimenting with special machines for years. Within the artistic process, there is enough room for a certain spontaneity and intuition.
Joana Schneider, Stillettos, 2023, Rademakers Gallery
The artist's brightly coloured, theatrical and occasionally eerie forms evoke an immediate reaction in the viewer. Sustainability is a recurring topic in the practice of Schneider, and she makes a concerted effort to keep her ecological footprint as small as possible, while also taking the transport of the large-scale installations into account. The fragrant material of her works still bears the traces of the sea. The artist poses questions about environmental pollution and our own ecological footprint. By reusing the nets and ropes, she ensures that there is less waste in the sea, waste that could otherwise pose a danger to the marine animals that could get entangled in them.
For her current exhibition at Rademakers Gallery, Schneider used a surprising source of inspiration: the so-called Polly Pocket. A brightly coloured plastic toy series that many Millennials will know from their childhood, in which the titular Polly could be dressed in add-on garments made from a hard type of plastic. The toy symbolises a certain idealised plastic artificiality and unbridled consumerism. In what ways does this reflect the self-image and beauty ideals of Millennials in 2023, who are currently aged 27-43?
Schneider's work is currently on display at the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam and, until recently, her work was presented at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Her work is part of the collections of Deloitte, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum Aalborg in Denmark and the Lakeside Art Collection.
