Ruin & Reclamation Reiterated – Beany Dootjes

×

Expand

Beany Dootjes, no date

(courtesy of the Gallery)

The works here began with the creation of watercolour drawings and fabric-based centipedes for Ruin & Reclamation, a group exhibition by the Potemkin Collective held at the Singer Clothing building in 2009. Utilizing a quilt her mother made from suit samples, men’s suit pants, and a recycled dictionary, Dootjes addressed gender construction and the art vs. craft debate. These themes continued in Ruin & Reclamation: Revisited at the Bowman Centres Centre in 2010–11 where she introduced bedbugs made from repurposed curtains, silk ties, and silk pants.

In Ruin & Reclamation: Reiterated, Dootjes builds on this body of work, adding head lice, earwigs, a spider, and collages detailing the history of the project. As with earlier iterations, Dootjes deconstructs symbols of male-dominated structures using women’s handiwork, commonly relegated to the domestic sphere, sourcing and employing items associated with men’s business attire.

Perhaps what is most fascinating is the visceral reaction viewers have to these creepy-crawlies. Torn between the attractiveness of the materials and the repulsion evoked by parasites and creatures often found in basements or crawlspaces, visitors find themselves simultaneously feeling unsettled or even anxious while wanting to approach. Scale plays a role in showcasing hours of labour coupled with the enlargement of diminutive, unsettling insects.

The artist wishes to thank Casa, Darcy Logan (curator), the arts centre staff, and the women — particularly her mother — who instilled in her an appreciation for fibre, sewing, and the everyday.