EKWC@Princessehof: Keeley Haftner – Carbon Copies

The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics presents EKWC@Princessehof: Keeley Haftner - Carbon Copies from 29 April to 29 October 2023. Haftner (Canada, 1985) has developed a body of work that explores sustainability, specifically our ecological footprint. The nine sculptures in the Princessehof are made from discarded artworks by Frances Whitehead. By pulverising them and using the debris as the basis for her new work, Haftner created new artworks with the recycled material. Carbon Copies consists of a series of ceramic works and a large drawing that reflects upon the CO2 emissions released in the transport and manufacturing process. The Netherlands-based artist created the work during a residency at European Ceramic Work Centre (EKWC) in 2021.

For Haftner, waste is both a source material and a main subject. In her series Sculpture from Other Sculptors’ Sculptures, which includes the Carbon Copies in this exhibition, Haftner transforms other artists’ discarded objects into new works. With Carbon Copies (Frances Whitehead), she gave two discarded sculptures by American artist Frances Whitehead a second life.

Over a period of almost 20 years, Whitehead’s sculptures – two toilet bowls – went on a trans-Atlantic and cross-continental journey of 40,075 kilometres between the Netherlands and North America. Their recent transformation involved pulverisation, 3D printing and firing to create Carbon Copies. Haftner then captured and sealed her own breath inside the 3D-printed works as a symbolic compensation for the CO₂ emitted during the transport and production of the works.