‘A History of Touch’: Grace Schwindt and M’s Statues of Christ

‘A History of Touch’

Grace Schwindt and m's statues of christ

In 2023, at the invitation of M, Grace Schwindt undertook a residency in the museum depot. The German-British artist researched, among other things, medieval sculptures of 'Christ on the Cold Stone', drawing inspiration from them for new work. The resulting pieces are now on display in the exhibition 'A History of Touch'.

Grace Schwindt: “It started with the exhibition ‘Masters of Sculpture’, which was staged around seven years ago at M. In it, I saw a series of statues of Christ on the cold stone, side by side on a long plinth. Seeing the suffering Christ before me looking so lifelike made a deep impression on me. The repetition added a dimension to it: how does a presentation change when you see so many variations of it?”

“I asked myself: how do we care for such ancient works? How do we store and restore them? During conversations with Eva (Wittocx, head of contemporary art and curator of this exhibition), she suggested a residency to explore this further.”

Benedicte Dierickx (Store Manager): “I took Grace on a tour of the store, and showed her how we work.”

Grace (to Benedicte): “Your gestures alone were performative at some level. The way you pick up a work, carefully carry it to a table and lay it on a cushion… And when those statues were standing there in front of me, it was… heaven. It was a true honour to have the opportunity to touch them, even while wearing gloves. Touch is a crucial aspect of my work, as it allows me to establish a tangible connection with history and trauma, another significant theme for me.”

“The statues not only depict Christ’s wounds, but also bear the scars of their own physical damage. There are cracks and missing pieces, the result of being touched by people and objects, exposed to the elements of air and earth. What interested me was: at what point does this damage become part of the exhibition? I discussed this with Benedicte and with the restorers.”

Benedicte: “Dealing with damaged objects is my job. But it was in this very damage that Grace saw beauty. For me this was a fresh perspective.”

Foto van Christusbeeld genomen door Grace Schwindt in depot M, 2023

Stone and bone

Grace: “I took many photos of the damage and then I sketched it. The result is a balance between figurative and abstract – only Benedicte and I know which drawing is based on which statue (laughs). I worked with soft shades and pencil lines, but I later added blue and red – intense colours that give the drawing power. For me, this combination speaks to the balance between care, vulnerability, and strength. I strive to bring traumas to light, rather than concealing them as we often do. By exposing vulnerability, one can transform it into a source of strength. Or perhaps it is both: strength and vulnerability. I want to show complexity, not just state how it is.”

“One work in particular appealed to me. A 16th-century stone Christ, or what remains of it: two legs, a torso with a head, and the cold stone itself. Too little to reconstruct the original, but it was precisely this that spoke to me.”

Benedicte: “My reflex would be: it would be difficult for us to exhibit a work in this condition. But talking to Grace made me ask myself: why shouldn’t we?”

Grace Schwindt aan het werk aan nieuwe productie ‘A History of Touch’ in atelier RR Keramiek Branden (Nl) — © Salto Productions

Grace: “That statue inspired me to make new paintings and a new sculpture. This piece is composed of geometric ceramic elements, with the outlines of the four remaining fragments meticulously carved out. However, we are displaying only one original fragment, a leg. The sculpture thus becomes a kind of temporary support, but also an artwork in itself. It addresses the wounds and trauma of the original, while evoking the notion of protecting and caring for fragile objects.”

“This was the first time that I have been able to work so intensively with historic art, and I enjoyed it greatly. It gave me hundreds of ideas for new work.”

From residency to exhibition

Grace Schwindt combines disciplines such as drawing, performance, film, sculpture and painting. She analyses the way in which bodies, objects and language contribute to the construction of history and memory. Concepts such as fragility and care play an important role in her work. Grace is a familiar face at M: in 2013 and 2018, she took part in the Playground festival.

Her solo exhibition at M showcases both existing sculptures, drawings and paintings, and new creations, for which she drew inspiration from historical objects in the M collection. She explored these during a residency in our store, where Store Manager Benedicte Dierickx

offered her guidance.

The residency in the store is part of a new programme in which artists, curators or thinkers are invited to focus in and with M on one aspect of the museum’s operations.