Upcoming: Wish Me Well

WISH ME WELL – LARA SCHNITGER

From 14 May, Wish Me Well will be on view at the NDSM-werf. This temporary, seven-metre-high monument by artist Lara Schnitger rises at a prominent location by the ferry landing. The sculpture depicts a figure who embraces and defends feminist values, serving as a powerful beacon for emancipation in the public space. The official opening will take place on 13 May.

With Wish Me Well, Stichting NDSM-werf continues its tradition of site-specific artworks. The work poses a timely question to visitors:At its centre is the question: Which values must we continue to protect today in the public domain? The interactive sculpture partly consists of hand-stitched sandbags which, in this case, do not protect against water but defend feminist interests. The sculpture contains openings with flags and slogans, developed together with feminist organisations, including Stem Op Een Vrouw, S.P.E.A.K., Women on Food, Neighborhood Feminists, WOMEN Inc., Our Bodies Our Voice, Fite Qlub, COC Amsterdam & Samen naar de Kliniek, and others. Visitors can throw coins into the openings as in a wishing well to support a value; the proceeds will benefit the participating organisations.

The work is inspired by women’s monuments, street protests and a Chinese wishing well in Los Angeles (Chinatown). Wish Me Well functions as a symbolic meeting place for feminist groups and the public, inviting reflection, participation and collective action.

A symbolic place where feminist voices and the public meet, come together, and find space for reflection and participation. — Lara Schnitger

About Lara Schnitger
Schnitger creates art that celebrates the strength of women and communities. She is a dutch artist based in Los Angeles. Her work interweaves feminism, activism and textiles. By revaluing traditions of handicraft and collective creation, Schnitger emphasises the historical and contemporary strength of women and communities in movements for change.

Wish Me Well is made possible by the Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, the Mondriaan Fonds and Vfonds.

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