The end of a relationship is never easy, especially a long one. But a broken heart is a goldmine for artists. You’d need multiple lifetimes to take in all the novels, films, poetry and art about heartbreak—all from the perspective of one of the former lovers.
But a different perspective can also be taken, as proven by Susanne Khalil Yusef and WONNE in Love for Sale. The former couple created an exhibition of works made during the eight years they were together. Love for Sale consists of pieces created while they lived together in Arnhem, surrounding them every day.
"The exhibition had been planned for a while, but after we broke up, the idea came up after some time to make it about the break-up. On a personal level, it was quite painful, but as art, we thought it was a very good idea and honestly, I can’t imagine a better conclusion for what we had."
Love for Sale featuring work by Susanne Khalil Yusef and WONNE can be seen until 17 November at GoMulan Gallery in Amsterdam.
Congratulations on Love for Sale, though the reason for the exhibition is sad, as your relationship ended after eight years. What does this mean for your studio? Are you both looking for a new space?
WONNE: Thank you. We’re very happy with how it turned out. The exhibition had been planned for a while, but after we broke up, the idea came up after some time to make it about the break-up. On a personal level, it was quite painful, but as art, we thought it was a very good idea and honestly, I can’t imagine a better conclusion for what we had.
Susanne: When we broke up, I still had my studio at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. Two months later, I finished there and joined WONNE's studio in Nijmegen. Partly for monetary reasons, but also because we’re still very good friends. Meanwhile, I’m also looking for something else because the studio is on the first floor and I need something on the ground floor for my heavy work.
You lived among the work now on display in Love for Sale. Can you describe the studio space where everything was created?
WONNE: We created the pieces over eight years. At first, we were both still in art school. When I came to Susanne’s place, I saw a beautiful set of furniture and we started painting on it. I think it was a bit of a shock for her then-ex, who still lived in the house. She had a house with six rooms, windows with old steel frames and single glazing, overlooking the Rhine. Her home quickly became one big studio. Paintings were everywhere, sculptures on display, plants in specially made pots and handmade tableware. The room at the end of the hallway was used as a welding room for a while.
Susanne: Later, we each had different studios, where we also held exhibitions. We always made a party of it, with live music and lots of fun.
In the exhibition text, I read that both of you work quite intuitively. What does an average day look like for you? Do you have work agreements or hours or does work and personal life blend together?
Susanne: We don’t work together on a fixed basis. We each have our own routines, but we benefit a lot from each other’s input. I discuss every project with WONNE; I always joke that he’s my artistic director. We help each other a lot and sometimes we ask if the other one wants to join in on something we’re making. We don’t have any agreements about this.
WONNE: At first, we made a lot together. But after a while, you don’t want that anymore because it felt like an obligation.
Susanne: You were too enthusiastic and too praising, and that scared me. It set the bar too high. Also, you made so much, with an endless drive to produce. I found that inspiring, but I think it also held me back.
WONNE: I didn’t like it when you once asked me to collaborate on something, but you didn’t want my name mentioned when it was exhibited. I agreed that it wasn’t always beneficial to present as a duo work, but I felt that you should have done it alone in that case. You ultimately did very well.
Love for Sale contains work that you made independently and collaboratively. What does a collaboration look like in practice? Does each of you make a part of the work or does one come up with the idea and the other executes it?
WONNE: When I first met Susanne, she was working on a portrait of her hero, singer Manu van Kersbergen. She asked me to help. From then on, the rule was that if we painted, we would give each other complete freedom, even to paint over each other’s work. Often, we’d take turns painting because working on the same canvas at the same time was fun, but didn’t really work. After working together for a while, I found myself relying on her additions. I sometimes didn’t like my solo work as much anymore, which wasn’t healthy.
Susanne: With the ceramic jug series Beverages for Friends, it was a bit different. WONNE had become obsessed with his potter’s wheel, but lacked ideas. I showed him a picture of an Arab jug and beautiful forms flowed from his hands. Once fired, the jugs he made were still white and I got to colour them. I used photo transfers of public figures who have spoken out about the oppression in Palestine.
A commonality in your work is an expressive style. Was this the starting point for your collaboration or did your styles converge over time?
WONNE: I think we were both already expressive, not as a style but as a way of doing things. When I met Susanne, she might have become a bit more deliberate because of her training at the arts academy, as when I saw her earlier work, I was completely excited by its madness and directness. At the academy, you always have to explain why you're doing something, and when you have to think of reasons, you can’t express yourself freely. Having fun is reason enough, I said, and Susanne thinks so too.
Susanne, you have a Palestinian background and incorporate the experiences of family and friends into your work. Have the themes and subjects of your work changed over the past year?
Susanne: Yes, absolutely. It’s been very difficult for me to work this past year because I was deeply saddened and paralysed by recent events. It was hard to keep answering emails and working on projects because, with thoughts of the suffering in Palestine, it all felt so meaningless. But I thought it’s crucial to use the opportunities I get to show my work to offer a broader context to what’s happening there. For instance, the fact that I’ve been making work about Palestine for years shows that it didn’t just start this past year. Some people are surprised that the Beverages for Friends jugs were made before 7 October. I’ve found a meditative method in my work that allows me to find more peace amidst the turmoil, enabling me to keep creating. I do this by incorporating patterns of lines into my work.
WONNE, your work is currently being exhibited at the COBRA Museum in Amstelveen. Can you tell us a bit about the work on display there?
WONNE: Three of my largest ceramic pieces are now on display, each made in parts because they wouldn’t fit in the kiln otherwise. A Kiss for the Hero Villain is a reclining figure in black and white with tiny bronze insects on it, Ambition is a dark figure with deep colours and a three-meter-high tower protruding from its belly and For the Heartbroken is a red unglazed creature with four legs and a pitch-black head, standing strong but with a screaming, crying expression. The sculptures convey themes of paralysis and recovery.
What are you currently working on?
Susanne: I’m working on an art commission for the city of Amsterdam. It’s my first outdoor piece, set to be unveiled on Women’s Day 2025, which is a dream come true.
WONNE: I’m working on a major grant application. Like Susanne, I want to delve into creating outdoor sculptures. I also want to make videos combining all my creative methods, including music, sculpture, drawing and painting, along with my interest in psychology and therapy—something I usually don’t explicitly show in my art. You can follow my process at www.lala.cool.