Following on from the East German curator’s presentation of Art in the Underground (2024/25) and Gossip Gossip Gossip (2021- now), I stayed for a discussion with Sandra Teitge to further ask her about her practice.
Two main things stood out to me in particular about what she said. The first being that a collective naturally allows for the ebs and flows of individual working patterns and productivity. She said when her collective work best is when there is space for one person to hold more workload, acknowledging that the others will repay this at a later date when perhaps she cannot maintain that same standard. Something the collective I am in discussed was the importance of equality, and equal work load, but I think this is something that also needs to be acknowledged. By working collectively anyway we can in the structure of our projects build in a greater sense of consideration for others, but in supporting the collective this way of working will allow for us all to share the pressure equally over the duration of its span.
The second thing she said is about the importance of finding joy in whatever you create. On Gossip Gossip Gossip she said her love for the conversation which really resonated with me, and how the most engaged I will ever be in a project is when it is the thing that brings the most joy. This encourages me to focus on the idea of conversations, as chatting and discussing and building networks is something that truly engages me. If I were to create an exhibition the lack of joy would result in it suffering. As a result I have decided that some form of ‘talking’ or communicating must be a part of my project, again returning me to themes of networks and systems of shared creation such as postal art. I think I find the most happiness in those ideas.
https://www.gossipgossipgossip.org/
https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/437787/art-in-the-underground-2022-23-new-urban-publics/
