Artists

Raquel van Haver, Chie Marquart-Tabel

Press release

Curated by Malte Pieper and Maja »May« Smoszna

As part of the exhibition programme POLY, created by Solvej Helweg Ovesen

Raquel van Haver’s practice is often informed by social issues. In bold and energetic paintings, drawings, and collages of everyday life she frequently depicts people who work or act as social entrepreneurs in various places all over the world. By archiving and reconstructing important moments in the life of these individuals and communities, she writes stories that have been erased from the traditional canon in history.

Galerie Wedding, itself located in a diverse neighbourhood, invites the artist to research the questions: »Who shapes social life, who are the social entrepreneurs in our neighbourhood today? How can their work be documented?« Which stories are told, and which are not? The exhibition Round Hall portrays people who are committed to the neighbourhood. The round hall is a particular space for assemblies and the display of representative portraits in various public buildings. Using chalk on blackboard paint, Raquel van Haver creates a large mural in the gallery. The social networks, groups and individuals which the artist depicts represent those important human beings whose tireless work and unfaltered dedication toward the local community often remain unseen, hidden »behind the scenes« and more often than not, has neither been documented, let alone archived. The exhibition is a means to archive this community-oriented work and wishes to celebrate the people who act at the heart of Wedding.

In this collaborative research process, van Haver will be joined by Wedding-based artist Chie Marquart-Tabel. Chie has worked in Management and Sustainability Consulting. As a freelance artist and illustrator they have created artworks for queer community spaces. Chie’s art evolves around simultaneity and belonging and invites moments of stillness, silence and connection. At Galerie Wedding, they install in a processual way an open space for community activity. The installation is inspired by training rooms for martial arts, which Chie also teaches.