Stephan Goldrajch at Middlemarch

Middlemarch, a Brussels–based non-profit space for contemporary art, has opened its space for an exhibition of Stephan Goldrajch. The exhibit, which takes place during Brussels Art Days, is a part of a curated tour organized by Caroline Dumalin from Contemporary Art Centre Wiels.

Goldrajch’s practice is confined to the intimacy of the home through his predilection for participatory. For Middlemarch, the Brussels-based artist set a domestic space of an apartment as the backdrop of his works.

“Thread is, I think, a word that qualifies me the most distinctly, literally and figuratively,” he explains. “My process incorporates different techniques, such as crocheting, weaving, embroidering and sewing, and is based on the very essence of the word ‘link.’ Embroidery constitutes one of my preferred fields of investigation. I appreciate the rigour the technique imposes and how it symbolises another era: where time and duration were imperative, determining factors. I’m what you could call an artist-artisan-weaver. I like to think of artisanship as characteristic of a commitment to excellence.”

Goldrajch’s work is based on questioning hierarchies: between noble and popular arts, as well as between ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ audiences. For the Middlemarch project, he realizes a monumental work of embroidery. Taking advantage of the occasion, exhibition visitors will be called on to realize, together, a collective, giant work of embroidery. Goldrajch uses his art practice as a pretext for creating encounters and discussions – a vital concern for the artist today.