In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Barbara Berends created a series of luxury objects, meticulously handcrafted from brown paper and cardboard.
The work grew from a personal fascination with what she calls ‘the ghost of a thing’: the presence of an object that is there, but not quite.
The crisis had produced an unexpected intimacy, suddenly, even people who had never needed to think about money were talking openly about desire rather than the satisfaction of it. These fragile, precise replicas gave form to that longing.
The series was exhibited twice, and photographed for the catalogue of the exhibition ‘Mode ❤︎ Kunst’ at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.
Photography: Alique
Styling: Maarten Spruyt
