Hadassah Emmerich Corporeal

SCHUNCK presents a two-year pilot project in collaboration with the artist Hadassah Emmerich (1974, Heerlen). The two-year collaboration consists of an extensive research by Hadassah Emmerich into the local identity and history of the region of South Limburg, resulting in a new series of works that will be presented at her solo exhibition at SCHUNCK in the spring of 2014, and some of which will be purchased and added to SCHUNCK's permanent collection. Recently SCHUNCK purchased the painting 'Highlights' by Hadassah Emmerich and with this project, among other things, aims to expand her work in the collection.

Emmerich is interested in the socio-cultural history of the region and is concerned with issues of identity in her work. Important themes in Hadassah Emmerich's work are the significance of a dual cultural background, her father being Indian, her mother Dutch-German, the relationship between "the self" and "the other," belonging or not belonging within a certain community, exploring and forming and finding one's identity. The difficult search for her own identity is reflected in her oeuvre and seems to be a reflection of this region's difficult search for identity.  

Around Hadassah Emmerich's research and her exhibition at SCHUNCK a comprehensive public program is being developed with public-oriented activities such as a series of lectures around the theme of cultural identity and public interviews by the artist. The Driver's Seat youngsters at SCHUNCK are developing an appealing educational program for secondary schools, in which Emmerich's interest in the artistic expressions of street culture and her method of working (e.g. the use of stencils) will be employed.