loose ends: meeting, meandering, wandering

In loose ends: meeting, meandering, wandering, artists Abel Hartooni and Natalija Gucheva delve into questions about the aspects of artistic creation and its connection to life's constant flux. Here, the glass corridor becomes a conversation of media such as paintings, ceramics and video that unfolds fluid narratives.

Abel challenges conventional notions of artistic creation by exploring the ongoing process of making rather than viewing art as a finite product. They are fascinated by how the act of painting embodies the processes of life as both are constantly growing and becoming. This is intertwined with their interest in the evolving nature of diasporic identity, always undergoing ways of hybridity and transformation. Currently, they are working on the dynamic nature of diasporic identity formation and the intersections of art, sexual politics and cultural dynamics between Iran and Western cultures in the early modern period. In this exhibition, one of their works draws inspiration from shared laundry lines seen in Armenia and Iran, exploring the intersection of public and private spheres. By suspending flesh paintings in a setting reminiscent of these communal spaces, Abel examines the dynamic between interior and exterior realms.

Natalija explores the intersection of social politics and emotional embodiment, inquiring how personal knowledge shapes collective narratives through the integration of feminist and queer care practices. Her creative process involves constructing speculative environments where communal bonding contributes to a sustained healing journey, acknowledging the connection and interdependence between communities and their non-human fellows.

Natalija's ongoing research involves developing a 'Kinship Cookbook' to engage the queer community in discussions on transcending human binaries and exploring diverse forms of kinship rooted in feminist and queer rituals. Using recipes as a medium, she organizes gatherings, including workshops, reading groups and material exchanges that revolve on different topics. In this exhibition, her ceramics are the material embodiment of the ingredients that Natalija receives through the writing workshops, allowing the poetic accumulation of the diverse interpretations of the participants.

Accompanying these visual artworks is a conjoint video work set in an imaginary landscape. In a non-linear narrative, the protagonists recall (inter) personal memories in order to initiate a dialogue. These memories intertwine with sensory experiences, evoking a sense of an uncertain nostalgia about the past, which relates to a yet-to-be-future. In these time swings what somehow remains is the relationship of the human with the land (scape) and the nonhuman.

Loose ends: meeting, meandering, wandering invites the audience to navigate the tensions between process and outcome, personal and collective memory, and other hybrids. Embracing the twists and turns of artistic exploration, Abel and Natalija challenge conventional notions of identity formation and meaning transformation, unraveling the complexity of existence and celebrating the fluidity of life's interconnectedness.