In an interview with Tribune Arts, Tessa said the name of the exhibition perfectly describes the process that dominates a studio-based practice; only time and repetition will make it possible to draw what by all accounts reads as an impossibility.

A new collaborative art collection “Because Drawing Round Squares Takes Practice” by Tessa Whitehead and Heino Schmid opened Thursday at Popopstudios International Center For The Visual Arts in Chippingham.

The conversations surrounding Heino’s work during his onsite work for the exhibitions ‘Assemble’ and ‘Material and Sculpture’ at Liquid Courage Gallery in 2013, manifested into the collaboration with Tessa.

“We shared a tutor for our MFA programs- Klaas Hoek. He travelled back and forth between Utrecht, where Heino studied and London, where I studied, to teach,” said Tessa.

She said the body of work at the upcoming exhibition was all made with skeletal materials: concrete, wood beams, nails, clay and paper. Having worked together in the space, Tessa said the exhibition reads as a collective thought, with discernible traces of process, with all of its successes and failures. She said they particularly invited failure to be a part of the process.

“The collaborative nature of composing the work challenges material, methodology, authorship and content. It is not a representation of something else, it is the thing and the thing is a synonym for the landscape; and so it can’t be read, it has to be experienced,” said Tessa.

The exhibition runs until March 22 and the gallery is open from 11 am to 2 pm, Monday to Thursday, or by appointment. Tessa said she is looking forward to a lot of engagement at the opening.

Tessa Whitehead’s recent exhibitions include ‘Wells Art Contemporary Prize, Well’s Museum, UK (2013), Painting Parade, LeandaKateLouise, London, UK (2013), COPY, Paper Gallery, Manchester, UK (2013). She was awarded the Chisenhale Studio Residency in 2013.

Heino Schmid’s recent exhibitions include ‘Material and Sculpture’, Liquid Courage Gallery (2013), Into the Mix, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville USA (2012), Wrestling with the Image, Art Museum of Americas, Washington, USA (2011). He received The Commonwealth Connections International Residency Award (2010).

By Alesha Cadet
The Tribune
Published: Wednesday, February 12, 2014