Exhibition

Rasmus Søndergaard Johannsen - Wound

29 Jul 2022 – 13 Aug 2022

Regular hours

Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
19:00 – 22:00
Thursday
14:00 – 18:00
Friday
14:00 – 18:00
Saturday
14:00 – 18:00
Sunday
Closed

Free admission

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Hošek Contemporary

Berlin
Berlin, Germany

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Travel Information

  • U2 Märkisches Museum
  • S-Bahn Jannowitzbrücke
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Hosek Contemporary is pleased to invite you to the opening of Wound, an exhibition by Rasmus Søndergaard Johannsen.
Curated by Linda Toivio.

About

Opening reception: Friday 29 July, 2022, 7-10 PM.
Exhibition period: July 29 - August 13, 2022.
Open Thu-Sat 2-6 PM and during other events of the gallery.

Tassels are used in different contexts both today and historically. Rasmus Søndergaard Johannsen is interested in their similar function and decorative role in notably different contexts, and is therefore diving into the subject by making one pair of tassels from the military realm, one from the domestic sphere and a third one from a sexual context. Both the tassels and their connecting ropes will be hand-made and hand-turned from thin string or leather.

The domestic decorative tassels hold curtains and their drapes in place. This type of curtain is often made of heavy, expensive fabric, sensitive to sunlight, dirt and excessive daily handling. The tassel draws attention to the curtain, while displaying wealth and social status, in an effort to showcase a “proper” home. This pair of tassels is made from turned ruby red pearl yarn. They are a replica of the curtain tassels in the artist’s grandparents’ special living room, only intended for guests. Although the grandparents were from a modest background of limited means, a ‘guest living room’ was a must. The curtains were never moved or opened during 60 years until the grandmother passed away.

Erotic tassels hanging from sex toys serve for decoration, pleasure and pain. They insinuate a possibility for new experiences and sensorial stimulations, more than actually functioning as a whip. Similarly to the military and domestic ones, the erotic tassel works as an adornment drawing attention to the actual object, but it also suggests a power dynamic between dominance and submission. The erotic tassel is produced with black leather, while the rope between the two tassels will be more elaborate with a five-strand braided leather rope.

The military tassels indicate a rank and a degree of power through the precious looking material and weaving techniques. They were most often hanging from sabres or bayonets, swinging from side to side, calling attention to the weapon with each movement. For Wound, Johannsen is creating tassels worn by officers in the French military in the 18th century. Both the tassels as well as the rope that connects them are made of shimmery gold yarn.

Perceived as superfluous, tassels seemingly exist to alter other objects. They are however, often items of importance, asserting status and dominance, but also empowerment. In Wound, the artist is focusing on tassels as individual objects in their own right, while at the same time exploring the common denominators of the military, domestic and erotic realms.

About the Artist :

Rasmus Søndergaard Johannsen (1982, Denmark) produces process-lead works across mediums such as installation, photography and sculpture. Concerned with the transformative abilities of elements and the properties that make up materials, Johannsen engages a scientific approach to his subjects- creating a ‘formula’ of deconstructed and reassembled components, which is then left to external factors- such as the atmosphere- to determine the outcome.
Despite Johannsen’s works being grounded in a rigorous understanding of material, he uses his knowledge sparingly, viewing each component as an undiscovered territory, and allowing the immeasurable nature of the final stage to forge new systems and reactions from his experiments.

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The gallery is located at
Motor Ship HEIMATLAND
close to Fischerinsel 3
10 179 Berlin-Mitte
+49 1525 7486496

What to expect? Toggle

CuratorsToggle

Linda Toivio

Exhibiting artistsToggle

Rasmus Søndergaard Johannsen

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