Back Stages

‘We are fascinated by systems of manufacture for art and culture as opposed to the romantic notion of the artist labouring in solitude within their studio. By emphasising values placed on the production and handling of artistic goods, we are presenting this work as a visual tribute to the creative process. ’ This publication sees Katrin Korfmann and Jens Pfeifer place the composition and materialisation of cultural identity in focus. This feat is achieved by capturing the production sites of artisans from across the globe. By taking a bird’s-eye perspective, joined with anthropological interests, this series of photographs foretell the creativity that comes with human effort in the making, collecting and preserving of culture. Whether they are glassblowers, archaeologists, stonemasons or artists they’re all members of the same guild.

This is Back Stages: a series of twelve photographic works dedicated to the dynamic processes within the production of art and culture.

Katrin Korfmann and Jens Pfeifer are both artists based in Amsterdam. Back Stages, their biggest collaborative work so far, was finished in early 2019 and has been displayed in museums, galleries and independent art spaces in, amongst others, the Netherlands, the United States and China.