WEEF.Collective

Textile and performance duo WEEF.collective (Lieve Fikkers & Hélène Vrijdag) present the exhibition the muse is not present. In the muse is not present, they explore agency of the female muse in visual art. A muse - in the Western art canon dominated by white men - was predominantly woman, nude, and white. What is a muse nowadays, through a female gaze? What happens when a muse rejects objectification? What if the muse walks away from her canvas? What do we see then?

The prototypes displayed in the installation were made in 2024 in different durational performances and installations. WEEF.collective chose the self-portrait as a way to disrupt the relation between artist and muse, and chose the form of a negative to question presence and absence. the muse is not present is thus a collection of portraits of Lieve and Hélène's own bodies in negative. Their silhouettes simultaneously appear and disappear on the canvas exactly because they leave the actual silhouettes out of the weave. The works depict a muse that is not there: empty representations. the muse is not present visualizes refusal as a feminist practice. The weaves are supported by a video work that connects muse to memes, reinterpreting the selfie / female nude in a cyborg social media reality.

WEEF.collective is a Rotterdam-based performance and textile duo by Lieve Fikkers and Hélène Vrijdag. We create time-specific and site-specific weaving installations inspired by ecofeminism, mythology and the concept of time. Our work is site specific in the sense that it is pliable to different contexts: we have performed in theatre festivals as well as in public spaces and at rave parties. Our work is time specific in the sense that the scale of the weave depends on how much time we can work on it: we have performed durations of 4 hours as well as durations of 10 days. Weaving is a disruptive and feminist act; it forces us and our audience to soften and slow down. Making this meticulous, slow hand work visible is our way to resist patriarchy, fast fashion and the capitalist rat race. 

concept & weaving: WEEF.collective (Lieve Fikkers & Hélène Vrijdag)
video: WEEF.collective (Hélène Vrijdag)
scenography / assistance: Maarten Heijnens
special thanks to: Enoma Amayo, Anne-Maike Mertens, Geartsje van der Zee and Nina Marte Wilson.

@weef.collective