THE OPEN DOOR is a collaborative exhibition about belonging and displacement across time and space by Aude Hérail Jäger and TisnaWesterhof. The project evolved from a series of conversations during the 2020 pandemic, when the two artists started exchanging thoughts and creative ideas about notions of home, the significance of childhood memories and family ties, especially during times of separation.

The result is a collection of intimate works based on personal experience interlaced with critical observations of contemporary life, in particular the role of women in society both past and present, expressed in works on paper, textiles and sculpture.

An integral part of the project is the Women’s Quilt of Pride, a collaborative piece of textile art created in workshops with members of the local communities in France and London. Participants were invited to dedicate a textile square to an inspirational woman, family member, friend or public figure. The experience of personal expression through an ancient craft forming a cathartic bond between the participants while the resulting quilts serve as testaments of togetherness and hope.

First shown in the vast vaults of a former vineyard in rural France this Spring, the exhibition has been adapted to the urban setting of a converted motorbike garage. For the London iteration, the artists have worked closely with members of The Feminist Library who will present a selection of their large archive collection of feminist literature to complement the displays.

The exhibition opens with a conversation chaired by The Feminist Library between the two artists and Nazira Mehmari, Operational Manager at IKWRO, the Women’s Rights Organisation whose members contributed to the Women’s Quilt of Pride, as well as Dr. Farhana Hoque, Social and Medical Anthropologist, University College London who contributed to THE OPEN DOOR catalogue, and Cristiana Bottigella, co-founder and director of hARTslane.

Originally known as the Women’s Research and Resources Centre (WRRC), The Feminist Library was set up in 1975, at the height of the Women’s Liberation Movement (WLM) and a time of intense political campaigning and lively collective organising.

Based in Peckham, The Feminist Library supports research, activist and community projects in this field. The Feminist Library is trans-inclusive, welcomes visitors of any gender, does not require registration or membership, and provides an intersectional space for the exploration of feminism.

Images: Above: The Women’s Quit of Pride created in co-operation with community groups in Britain (top) and France (bottom). 
Below: THE OPEN DOOR at L.A.C. Lieu d’Art Contemporaine (Narbonne, France)

Partners:

Film Remke Westerhof
PR support Meike Brunkhorst

Press: Souvenirs Sans Frontières, Trebuchet

Publication
Texts:  Aude Hérail Jäger, Bernard Tenon De Noilles, Marie Stefan Salgas, Dr Farhana Hoque, Miri de Villers>
Translations: Laura Bennett, Nathalie Reis
Graphic design: Bastien Candille
Photography: David Huguenin, Bastien Candille

Artworks description (including map at hARTslane)

Aude Hérail Jäger is a French artist who lives and

works in London. She holds a BA (Hons) in Sculpture from Central Saint Martin’s (UCL) and continued her post-graduate studies at the Slade School of Fine Art (UCL) and The Royal Drawing School in London where she currently teaches.

Her work has been widely exhibited, including solo shows in the UK, France and Japan. She is recipient of grants by the British Council, the Henry Moore Foundation and the Arts Council England.

Born in the Netherlands, Tisna Westerhof lives and works between London and Amsterdam. She studied Printmaking at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague and holds an MA in Scenography from Central St Martins (UCL).

Her work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and London’s The Royal Academy, The Dutch Centre and Whitechapel Gallery.

She is co-founder and director of hARTslane Gallery, London.