Pharmakon (series)

Exhibited at @Efremidis Gallery in Berlin, 2020 / @Beige Brussels, 2021

Moon in Scorpio – Efremidis Gallery in Berlin – 15.11.2019 — 25.01.2020

 « In the window space of Efremidis Gallery, we see a group of soft sculptures, large enough to sit on, their cottony texture inviting touch. These hand-sewn, hand-painted pillows reference anatomical drawings of plants, their microscopic insides magnified, but they also call to mind the shape and structure of the female sex organs. Inhabiting a space in between domestic coziness and sculptural quality, inside and outside as well as human and nonhuman, the pillows are not least reminding us of the undeniable kinship between people and plants. Charles’ curtains of the series “Pharmakon” tell a speculative herstory of medicine. Sprawled on the fabric rather than arranged in chronological or serial order, the various images and symbols in popping colors draw on and interconnect personal, mythological and historical stories of female health and healing: The moon represents the lunar cycle, which is closely linked to the menstrual cycle; the snake is an ancient symbol for fertility, the bowl with a snake coiled around on the other hand is the internationally recognized pharmacy sign; the image of big purple hands with red-painted nails surrounding a joint is reminiscent of the healing power of the laying on of hands; ginger, spoons, scales, and herbs can be read as general plant-based medical imagery, but they are also direct references to the artist’s extensive theoretical and literary research on witchcraft, wellness, (female) health and illness. »                      Marie Sophie Beckmann

♦ Press release 

♦ Pictures of the show

I LOVE TODAY, I CAN’T WAIT FOR TOMORROW, group show at Beige Brussels in Brussels, 30.08.2020 — 06.02.2021