Through Porcelain Shards and Hundreds of Threads, Helena Hafemann Shatters Notions of Value

One day, as Helena Hafemann was unloading the dishwasher, one of her porcelain saucers shattered. Breaking into several fragments, the beloved plate lost its functional use within a split second, but Hafemann continued to think about its value, reflecting on how much emotional weight the piece still held even in its daunting state.

Trying to salvage each fragment with glue felt as demoralizing as it was dismal, and she was left to think about worth: When an object’s value is so intertwined with its utility, what happens when the latter is taken away? What role does sentimentality play, especially when the original piece is transformed anew?

Hafemann is driven by these slippery notions of value, which seem more urgent when faced with loss. Suspending the brief moment of destruction, the Wiesbaden, Germany-based artist stretches hundreds of strands of filigree thread between broken segments of plates. Perfectly coinciding with the porcelain hues from which they flow, bundles of delicate fibers bridge the jarring gaps between each ceramic morsel.

Comprising plates from friends, family, thrift stores, and flea markets, the wall works make up her ongoing Fadenschein series, which translates to “threadbare.” She shares:

By connecting the shards with sewing thread, I freeze the moment of breakage, or the apparent disintegration of the porcelain plate. With the Fadenschein series, I want to create little moments of irritation in which you ask yourself whether time is really always moving forward, or whether it is perhaps possible that, just this once, it can make a broken plate grow back together again.

Hafemann is currently preparing for two solo exhibitions opening later this year. See her website for more work, and stay in the loop about her forthcoming shows on Instagram. You might also enjoy Nicole McLaughlin’s warped sculptures and Faig Ahmed’s drippy fibers.

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