Artist collectives: Traditional ways of working rediscovered?

Despite a constantly increasing number of artist groups, the romantic idea of the artist as an individualist and lonely genius still haunts many minds. Therefore, when artists announce that they are working in a collective, they are often initially viewed with a mixture of respect (Wow, they dare to do a thing!) and suspicion (Well, let's see how long that lasts!). This suspicion must be credited with the fact that there are no fundamental rules for artistic collaboration and therefore irritation is almost pre-programmed. Lina Mazenett and David Quiroga of the Colombian artist duo Mazenett/Quiroga have been working together for many years. They also confess:
»People sometimes don't understand very well how we work together, but we don't understand it either. There are no set rules within the collective, each work and role mutates and changes with each project.«

Berlin-based actress Sinta Tamsjadi and Hamburg-based photographer Thomas Schmidt of Tamsjadi & Schmidt have had similar experiences:
»We are often asked if we are also a couple in private. People are surprised when they hear that we are not. Then we usually experience openness and curiosity. We even experience the non-sharing of everyday life as an advantage for focusing on our artistic path. A common question is also how we agree when we have different opinions.«

The first hesitation often occurs in the very definition of artistic collaboration; for example, groups of artists who predominantly work together on an artwork are often confused with art movements, where different artists and associations follow a common idea. This type of joint work has tended to decline today, to where collectives in the sense of actual collaboration are becoming more frequent. The best-known early examples of artist groups are, for example, in Germany the expressionist groups Brücke and Blauer Reiter, in Europe the individual groups around the Futurists, Surrealists, Dadaists and De Stijl, in Russia the Cubo-Futurist group Hyläa or in Colombia the group Bachué. Artists often joined forces with the aim of expressing their political stance; one need only think of the influence of the hippie and later the punk movement on the arts of the 1970s to 1980s. But this was not the case everywhere: far from the West, for example the Korean artists of the Dansaekhwa group were searching for an independent "modern" mode of expression during this period.

Recently, collective art forms can again be found in increasing numbers. Currently, an entire Documenta is dedicated to this way of working. Under the motto Art and Activism, numerous group positions were presented in Kassel, Germany. In addition to the controversial Indonesian artist group Taring Padi, other initiatives such as The Nest Project take up current socio-political themes in their works. One example is the work Return To Sender. It consists of a house-high mountain of bundled old clothes. Next to it an equally imposing cube of pressed-together scrap metal was placed. What is a sculpture in the context of Dokumenta15 is everyday sadly life in Kenya and other African countries. Unfortunately, a large part of the garbage from wealthy countries still ends up in Africa. The installation thus addresses a problem that concerns many people. The work in the group thereby enables a reinforcement of the individual positions, multiplies the voices and the experiences, in which the artist feels confirmed by the community, become an important basis for the collective collaboration.

These examples illustrate that most artist groups sought to distinguish themselves from an often conservative individualism through their collaboratively created works. Sinta Tamsjadi and Thomas Schmidt believe, »(...) that contemporary many artists experience that it is fruitful and even more fun to work together. And that it corresponds to a longing to feel artistically and professionally in a collective«.

In addition, a topic can often be explored in greater depth through different opinions than would be possible on one's own. So if one works towards a certain common goal, the creative possibilities can be multiplied. Lina Mazenett and David Quiroga therefore not only consider themselves a collective, but jokingly call themselves accomplices, a word that actually describes the collaboration of criminals. As with accomplices in crime, they say it is extremely enriching in the artistic process to have more than one perspective on what they create.

Of course, this kind of collaboration has plenty of potential for conflict. Mazenett/Quiroga are currently working together across the vast distance between Colombia and Germany. They say:

»Working as a collective makes the processes much more critical, which is great, but at the same time it also makes some decisions and processes a bit slower, sometimes we need more time to reach consensus and unanimity. (...) During the negotiations to make decisions when implementing ideas, it is quite normal to have disagreements, conflicts and misunderstandings. We are both very different people, and sometimes reaching agreements requires extra effort from both parties.«

Tamsjadi & Schmidt know these tests of patience as a duo. They say their work tempo is also slower than solo artists. However, they are happy to accept this because this form of working allows them to go through artistic processes together. Tensions in terms of their time management tend to arise from living in different cities - Sinta lives in Berlin, Thomas in Hamburg. They report that disputes arise when they do not listen carefully to each other and therefore feel left out or not seen. But in terms of their art, they never experience discrepancies, which amazes them.

Patience and good communication with each other are therefore indispensable for resolving conflicts that arise. When these things are in place, working over greater distances also works. But why do the artists put up with this creative struggle, and what is so fascinating about this way of working?

»Because we are social and convivial beings, because it is a way of resisting the individualistic system that capitalism imposes on us, because more and more people are realizing that there are other, more solidary relationships that bring more benefits and happiness than competitive relationships.« (Mazenett/ Quiroga)

»We like to work together and wouldn't have it any other way. We complement each other even without words and together we are more. We come from different disciplines (Thomas photography, Sinta acting). Our differences cross-fertilize each other and allow new things to emerge and are an elementary part of our collaboration.« (Tamsjadi & Schmidt)

Sinta Tamsjadi (Berlin) and Thomas Schmidt (Hamburg) have been working together as a duo since 2014. In various studios in Hamburg, they create elaborately conceived photographs that deal with existential themes, such as birth, life and death, and document, for example, the loss of control over our existence in the photo series Fallen. Sinta Tamsjadi, formerly an actress and director, takes on the choreographic aspect of the work and the photographer and artist Thomas Schmidt realizes the jointly developed concepts photographically.

https://tamsjadischmidt.com/

https://www.instagram.com/tamsjadischmidt/

Lina Mazenett (Berlin) and David Quiroga (Bogotá, Colombia) have known each other since their student days at the Universidad Nacional in Bogotá and have been working together as artists since 2014. They create elaborate installations that are preceded by a months-long process. The duo addresses the often problematic perception of nature by humans. They uncover these contrasts when they let different cultural, social, scientific or economic contexts collide. For example, they followed the tracks of a jaguar in the Amazon and placed it in the middle of the urban jungle.

https://www.mazenett-quiroga.com/

https://www.instagram.com/mazenettquiroga/