Discovering a broken plate in your dishwasher is not uncommon. The fragility of their material makes them prone to cracks and shattering, at which point they become unusable for their original purpose. However, for German multidisciplinary artist Helena Hafemann, this occurrence serves as an opportunity to add a new piece to her Threadbare series.
The Threadbare series sees Hafemann joining fragments of broken plates with threads to create captivating artworks. Stretched threads that bring the fragments together perfectly match their colors, resulting in an intriguing effect that allows the viewer to observe the piece from two different standpoints. One is that the fragments are slowly becoming whole again, and the other one is that the delicate threads are the only thing that prevents them from parting ways forever.
On her website, Hafemann explains that her work deals with “the visualization and transformations of social values and explores the dignity of the materials.” Besides the Threadbare series, Hafemann is engaged in the creation of site-specific installations, street art interventions, and various other projects. Her works have been exhibited in her native Germany and several other European countries.
Continue scrolling to check out more of Hafemann’s pieces from the Threadbare series.
