Between stable and easel
The morning begins with damp grass under your boots and snorting cows in the barn. The Irlenhof farm near Kreuztal becomes a studio for a week this summer. Antje Schiffers sets up her easel in the midst of the everyday rhythm of farm life. She looks, listens, asks questions. Here, art is not created in an enclosed space, but in the midst of everyday life. The artist from Berlin portrays the farm in Siegerland with a brush, camera and in direct contact with the people on site.
The work on the Irlenhof is part of the "Wanderspace" project of the art department at the University of Siegen. The format deliberately brings contemporary art to the region and to unusual places, inviting people to discover and participate. Since 2023, Prof. Dr. Johanna Schwarz and Stefanie Klingemann have been organizing and implementing special events at special locations as research assistants in the field of cultural education and artistic strategies in public spaces. As a "traveling guest", Antje Schiffers continues the art series in Siegerland, focusing on the Irlenhof Hof and its people. She paints.
Schiffers is known for her long-term project "I like being a farmer and I would like to stay one". In it, she combines painting, film and social encounters to create an artistic practice that shows agriculture from the perspective of those who live it every day. She travels to farms in different regions and countries, spends time with farmers and engages intensively with their working conditions, their knowledge and their challenges.
Antje Schiffers paints a picture of the farm or the surrounding area on location. In return, the farmers themselves make a short film about their work and their view of agriculture. This creates a dialog in which artistic and agricultural perspectives stand side by side on an equal footing.
The Irlenhof is an example of small-scale agriculture in the Siegerland region. The project makes visible an agriculture that often receives little attention in public perception: neither agro-industrial nor idyllically glorified, but everyday and demanding. In this way, it strengthens the dialog between contemporary art, regional identity and questions of future agriculture.
Antje Schiffers will be working at the Irlenhof from May 4 to 11. On July 1, the finished film will celebrate its premiere at the Irlenhof during the "Long Night of the Farmer's Film".
wanderspace as a sub-project of FUSION
Wanderspace is part of the FUSION research project. The University of Siegen is working with stakeholders in the region to research the transformation of rural industrialized areas. The focus is on technical developments, healthcare, education, social interaction and art and culture.
