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Blick in die Ausstellung
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Project #21: Helena Hafemann
DavisKlemmGallery Projektraum, Kirchstraße 4, 65239 Hochheim am MainOpening reception with the artist on September 21st, from 3 to 6 pm. Project #21: Helena Hafemann
THE INSTALLATION
Two saddles go round in circles, driven by a shared motor—an eternal race without horses or riders, accompanied only by the slow swinging of the stirrups. A strange carousel? A symbol of recurrence? Of the rhythm of the seasons, the festivals throughout the year – Easter, the wine festival, the Hochheim market, Christmas – that structure life in the city? Perhaps also of everyday life with its routines? Or is it even a critique of capitalism: horse and rider have long since left the race, and yet everything continues to turn – without a destination.
MATERIAL
A Western saddle, an English saddle, the motor from a disco ball, and a few grains of barley. What could be more obvious than to use these items to create a work of art for the Hochheim Project Space? Helena Hafemann found the two saddles at a farmyard flea market in Munich—relics of a broken relationship. In addition to the found objects, the motor is an element that was procured with the idea for the installation in mind. The triangular construction connecting the saddles and motor is also a custom-made piece.
THE ARTIST
Wiesbaden-born artist Helena Hafemann prefers to work with unsettling elements. She calls her approach “recontextualization”: melting plates, a bridge pier converted into a carousel, or model railroad tracks running along walls. Since graduating from the Mainz Academy of Fine Arts in 2023, she has exhibited throughout Europe, including in Berlin with her solo exhibition “Time goes by” and in a group exhibition in Venice. In 2022, she transformed the west exit of Mainz Central Station into a carousel. Most recently, she was featured in the exhibition “All diese Dinge” (All These Things) at the Kunsthalle Mainz until the beginning of September.
PRODUCTION
Hafemann enjoys working with found materials that inspire her, setting them in new contexts. While the objects used were “found,” the construction connecting the saddles and motor was custom-made according to her design. For her, working with “objets trouvés” always begins with an open mind: seeing things, collecting them, and letting herself be inspired. The path from found object to finished work is rarely straightforward. It is the sum of impressions and objects that allows the idea to mature and enables its realization.
INFLUENCE
Horses have been a central motif in art since the earliest cave paintings. We most often encounter them in military or representative works: since Marcus Aurelius, equestrian statues have stood for political power. The Expressionist group “Der Blaue Reiter”, on the other hand, presented horses in a completely new light. However, Hafemann's thoughts on this motif turn primarily to photography: in 1878, British photographer Eadweard Muybridge had a horse gallop past twelve cameras. His proof that horses briefly have all four legs in the air when galloping had a lasting impact on the development of film and photography. The “mechanization” – or rationalization? – from living beings to human-controlled processes forms the common thread that Helena Hafemann takes up again.
THE SPACE
The 20 m² room, in which pens and exercise books were previously sold, is now available to artists from the DavisKlemmGallery as a project space. Instead of regular but limited opening times, the room can be viewed at any time: A large window front makes every project visible. Changing projects, installations, works of art and artists can be discovered here. The current presentation will be on view until November 31st, 2025.
