What could she possibly do ?

Maybe its the thread, sewn into paper and canvas that does it, but whenever I look at Oppenhoff’s works, I see both the present and the future. It is important to choose the right materials for one’s vision of the world and, Oppenhoff’s use of sewing causes the viewer to see her work both as present-day reality as well as very much about the future. She is able to do this because she uses marks and stitching as devices for creating time. In the present, things move quickly so that one doesn’t really have time to enjoy or sometimes understand the action, whilst in the future, there is a slower contemplation of things, as if one is making sure that what one is seeing is really possible. There is a real vulnerability as well as superhero quality to these characters that make them very appealing, as seen in the title work, “What could she possibly do?” where the character’s vulnerable face shows only one side, yet whose mind is rapidly thinking the obvious and, in another psychological drama, “Spell it Spirit” depicts The Spirit looking a little dapper but fatigued against a wall. In one of the more enigmatic works in the show, ”Treasure Hunt,” there is both the existing world and an imagined world that seems to offer up newer possibilities.

As sewing is traditionally seen as a feminine practice and can ‘appear’ to be quite soft, it can also be seen as very masculine as it involves a needle. Superheroes on the other hand, are considered more masculine because of their physicality, allowing them to create new worlds both realistically and through myth-making. In these works, the feminine assumes the dominant role of creation which is unique to this artist’s work as it helps to solidify Oppenhoff as the creator of her own myths. 

The hanging wisps of thread, the stitching, and the erased pencil marks, all create pathways that make these works come alive as if they are happening right now within our own world. This is what the great classical masters were able to do with drawing - they were able to make each mark or line represent not only shape and movement but a sense of time itself - which is the key to great work - a feeling that one is looking not only at the past and present but the future as well. 

We live in a world of technological achievement and the idea that we are now able to do things far beyond our abilities in the past is very real, yet we do very little to embrace these possibilities. Oppenhoff’s work convinces us that this should not only be something we aim for, but something that is ultimately achievable.

Bendel Hydes, New York, 2014