Josie

2024

Pre-owned curtains, plastic bind, curtain lead weight, digital photographs

Josie could be a single woman in her 50’s. She enjoys spending time by her window, carefully arranging it to look so pretty for the passerby outside.
At first glance, this is the narrative we might imagine. But taking a closer look, the scene unravels weird glitches.
The arrangement of curtains is actually an accumulation of pre-owned household and kneipe curtains, piled unevenly on top of each other, interspersed with fragments of broken plastic blinds and lines of curtain lead weight. Behind this layered display, a tiled wall holds a picture of a living room — the focal point: a low table. Another photograph captures the same table during an aperitif, overfilled with heavy cream cakes, plastic fizzy water bottles, a lighter and cutleries and smoked cigarettes nestled in a glass ashtray.
Stuck between the window and the curtains, on top of the arrangement, the photograph seems on the verge of escaping the scenery.

This mise en abyme reflects on the layered complexities of memory and family, as viewers peer into an imagined scene that feels both welcoming and unsettling. It invites the viewers to contemplate everyday life, our expectations, and the tension between what is presented and what lies hidden behind polished decor.

01.11.24 - 01.12.24
At Cabine.Cabinet
U2, Sophie-Charlotte-Platz, Berlin, Germany