In the new exhibition Joana Schneider - Otherworldly the Groninger Museum takes you into a world where fantasy and reality intertwine. Here you'll see extraordinary textile artworks created by artist Joana Schneider. Her sculptures make you reflect on change in our world. She uses ancient techniques such as embroidery and weaving, and incorporates themes like identity, beauty, and renewal into her sculptures.
Otherworldly shows how powerfully nature can change and how strong our imagination is. In this exhibition you arrive at a place where ordinary things meet the magical. It feels as if you're on a journey of discovery, between what you know and something new and mysterious.
The inspiration of Joana Schneider
Joana Schneider (Munich, 1990) draws her inspiration from ancient stories such as myths. In these, emotions like love, revenge, and power play a major role. She also looks at art from the late Renaissance, a time when people, animals, and nature were depicted richly and colorfully. In her art she reflects on how people want to change themselves, what is beautiful, and how we search for who we really are. The idea of 'transformation' is central to her work.
How does she make her art?
Schneider uses a special way of working. She combines modern techniques with ancient crafts that are almost forgotten. Think of fishermen's knots, embroidery, and carpet weaving. She often works with recycled materials such as old ropes and yarns, which she often dyes herself. Through this way of working she has gained much recognition in the art world. In her installations, nature, fantasy, and human emotion come together. This makes her art feel almost real – it's an experience that stimulates your senses.
Forever Young now in the museum
In 2023, the Groninger Museum acquired the work Forever Young by Joana Schneider, along with four other sculptures from the same series. Forever Young is a colorful wall tapestry made from old fishing ropes and PET yarn. You see a girl with pink hair and a cute little dress. The work is reminiscent of Polly Pocket toys from the 90s. With this, Schneider explores how Millennials view youthfulness and the desire to stay young. The artwork also refers to plastic surgery and the influence of social media on how we want to look.
Forever Young and other works from this series can now be admired for the first time in the Groninger Museum.