Fellows

Artist Dis-Placement at German Red Cross (Berlin) - Jan van Esch

Drawn clothes @ Jan van Esch

Jan van Esch ( Netherlands )

Jan van Esch was for more than one year as an Artist-Dis_placement resident placed at the German Red Cross Berlin (DRK) in 2016/7. He focused on the process of (charitable) giving of clothes, diving into the motives and assumptions of the giver, and imagining the reactions of the receiver. 
All the interventions started with closely observing and working with the abandoned garments, from line drawing (which became its own project drawn.clothes) to installations and performances. In the project he closely collaborated with Ephrem Solomon, Martiene Raven and Mia Alvizuri Sommerfeld. The residency was finalized after 13 months with a twenty-four hour installation performance 'Waschmaschine'  at ZK/U during Art Week Berlin 2017.


Jan van Esch combines his art practices with a background in social and health science, and looks from all these angles into the concept of the Gift. As a Marcel Mauss admirer he also believes that giving is never an action by itself, but always part of a reciprocal cycle and therefor a form of communication between the giver and the taker. Be aware as a line from the Nordic Poem the Edda says ‘A present given always expects one in return’.

http://www.janvanesch.com

Drawn clothes in red cross @ Jan van Esch
Wash machine @ Jan van Esch
Artist DisPlacement @ Jan van Esch
Artist DisPlacement @ Jan van Esch, 2017