Love Suffering Lust

Passion in Ceramics

24 September 2021 to 16 January 2022

From September 24, a new and exciting exhibition is on show at Tiendschuur Tegelen. This exhibition responds to a need many have felt since Corona: hunger of skin, cuddling, physical contact. It takes some courage to come and see the exhibition, but there is one advantage: it can be done anonymously, for after the relaxation of the Corona measures, registration and reservation are no longer necessary. Visitors, therefore, can come and visit the Tiendschuur with confidence and allow themselves to be tempted discreetly by this exhibition that is absolutely full of love, suffering and lust. The exhibition can be visited up to and including 16 January 2022.

The new exhibition at the Tiendschuur shows passion in all aspects. Pain, rage, fear, uncertainty, hope, dreams, longing, love, suffering and lust: in other words, sorrow and misery in ceramics. Exciting sculptures with even more exciting stories. From the story of the Passion up to old mythology to 50 shades of grey. This exhibition will give the visitor the creeps, will embarrass them, make them blush, smile and cry a tear. The ceramic sculptures in this exhibition have been made by artists from home and abroad. In spite of their different origins and backgrounds, they are one in their aim to catch our universal emotions in sculptures.

Although all sculptures are about emotion, their diversity in the forms of the works of art is enormous. Thus, the sculptures of the ‘cover girl’ Janneke Bruines (NL) are lithe ladies in exciting positions. Her figures are only ‘dressed’ in decorative glaze patterns. However, behind that tempting façade, a story is hidden referring to sorrow, loss. Thus, the figure ‘silenced’ refers to the suppression of women and freedom of speech.

At first sight, the work from Reinhilde Van Grieken (BE) looks like glitter and glamour. However, with her, too, appearances are deceiving. Nasty things are happening behind closed doors. Her sculptures refer to child abuse in the Church and to her youth traumas. The works from Brazilian Horacio Venturin (BR) have a high touch feeling. The beautiful soft sloping forms have all grown out of a hole through which he looks at the world. But here, too, more is hidden behind the pleasant smoothness. The holes refer to the hole in the wall through which, as a small boy, he saw his alcoholic father going berserk.

The most sensual are the sculptures by Wayne Fischer (USA) who lives in France. His carnal sculptures are tempting and invitingly soft. At the same time, the sculptures call up associations that bring a blush of shame to one’s cheeks. That is exactly what he is aiming at. The creation of new life, from generation to birth, is the central theme in his work.

Eroticism and corporality are also to be found in the work by teja van hoften (NL) and Marieke Pauwels (BE). van hoften shows ‘secret places’ stylised soft as silk, and pertly flapping hormones or ovaries. Marieke Pauwels exhibits a number of wonderful mussels. The latter open themselves invitingly, their luxuriant and warm interior exposed to the visitors. However, her sculptures go much further than this. They refer to womanhood, menstruation, fertilisation, giving birth to children as well as to the worship of fertility, ripeness and vulnerability affected by illness and old age. In her work ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ these themes all come together very beautifully.

Marie-Josée Comello (NL) is a former student of Marieke Pauwels. Like her teacher, she makes installations in which different elements together take on a new meaning. Two impressive installations from her are on show. In the first instance: pleasant, decorative and aesthetic. But viewed at close range, the beauty crumbles and irregularities come into view. Apart from beautiful smooth forms, there also appear to be elements in them that remind one of bones or organs.

A similar stratification is to be found in the work from Sylvia Evers (DE), who lives in Arnhem. At first sight, they are beautiful modest sculptures reminding one of sculptures from classical antiquity. But what is hidden under them is not a story about mythological heroes, but about vulnerability, of people struggling with their lives. That same vulnerability and struggle is to be found in the work by artist Nele Waldert (DE), who is from Düsseldorf. Her sculptures sometimes literally bear the weight of life on their shoulders. Another figure sings about life in the form of an ode to the “Birth of Venus” by Botticelli, a famous painting of the goddess of love.

The praises of love are also sung in the sculptures of Elsa Alayse (FR) who lives in Brest). Love of mother and child, of God or saints, but also love that is crumbling. This last one she expresses by showing small figures lying across under the sheets, its title being “divorce”. Confronting and very topical are also her figures of mother and child with bag and baggage, with all their belongings. They refer to poverty, the homeless, and refugees.

In addition to heated themes and erotic excitement, there is room for humour. A smile makes everything lighter. The work from the Belgian artist-designer Hugo Meert (BE) is playful, putting the visitor on the wrong track. He challenges functionality and plays with sense and nonsense in his work. For instance, there is a teapot with a thick middle finger for a spout and at the same time a conciliatory hand for a handle. Finally, there are numerous little portraits made by the Swedish artist Johan Thunell (SE). Like no other, he can catch human emotions in clay. There is a colourful collection of faces that, for instance, are sulking, chuckling, are furious, surprised or ecstatic. An enormous range of emotions hangs on the wall here, which is also precisely what this exhibition stirs up in the visitor. “Love suffering lust“ is an emotional roller coaster that continues to vibrate for a long time.

The exhibition can be visited up to and including 16 January.

Artists will be present in person to explain their work on the days below:

  • 24 October: Nele Waldert, 14:00
  • 7 November: Janneke Bruines, 14:00
  • 16 January: teja van hoften, 14:00

Please book your reservation in advance via our web site: https://tiendschuur.net/exposanten-presenteren/

The ceramists participating in the exhibition:

Elsa Alayse (FA), Janneke Bruines (NL), Marie-Josée Comello (BE), Sylvia Evers (DE/NL), Wayne Fisher (FA/US), Rheinhilde van Grieken(BE), Louise Hindsgavl (DK), Teja van Hoften (NE), Hugo Meert (BE), Marieke Pauwels (BE), Johan Thunell (SE), Horacio Venturin (BR/ NE) and Nele Waldert (DE).