Annet Gelink Gallery is proud to present Wouter Paijmans’ first solo show in the gallery, Haberdashery, following his presentation in The Bakery in 2019. 

The title of his latest show refers to the many buttons, zippers, needles, and threads that Paijmans discovered in his aunt’s archive, who works as a seamstress for a Dutch leather goods company and sparked his interest in working with leather. It also hints at the approach of assemblage that is characteristic for Paijmans’ work. In his quest for more freedom and less boredom in the production of his work, the artist came across so-called samplers: little embroideries made as a test and signpost of one's qualities in needlework. He uses these samplers, that he finds in his own family archive or regional companies, not as blueprints for endless copies, but as starting points to build on. Elements from these samplers are used and reproduced. However, no longer longing for the aura of the original, it is now the minor, human imperfections and developments that becomes visible in (re)creating these samplers, that interest him. Together, the works form a narrative of the artist's process and improvement, and lead back to Paijman's original area of interest: efficiency in the production of art.