From crochet penises about to burst to organic fertility sculptures - erotic crafts and girly stuff at the Leverkusen Arts Society

Over the past few years we have witnessed a return to traditional handcrafts. On the one hand in the private space: usually women, in their mid 20s to mid 30s, meet in knitting circles, exchange knitting patterns and experiences on the internet and are reviving knitting, embroidery and crochet with new generation imagery.

In contrast to the bird, floral and landscape imagery their grandmothers may have opted for, these ladies go for mobile phones, skull and crossbones and even penises. This trend has likewise taken hold of the international art and exhibition scene.

Exhibitions such as ‘Neue Masche – gestrickt, gestickt und anders’ (new perspectives on knitting and embroidery) at Museum Bellerive in Zurich and ‘Knitted Worlds’ at the Audax Textiles Museum in Tilburg juxtapose young artists with the works of established crafts women such as Rosemarie Trockel and Sophie Taeuber-Arp.

Cologne-based artist Andrea Pritschow belongs to this new generation. She exclusively crocheted penises for many years. She has lately started creating large-scale objects, which resemble abstract plant shapes and are usually eroticised through the viewer’s imagination.

Pritschow’s close to bursting point penises come in different sizes and patterns. The ultimate icon of masculinity is softened up with bold colours and cuddly materials. All very tongue in cheek of course. However, Pritschow’s work is more about exploring our relationship to eroticism and sexuality in society in general, than it is about emasculating men.

Apart from Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, there is hardly any ‘art with flowers’ in the art and exhibition worlds. Besides Rotterdam artist Denise Collignon there are few artists that create commercial and fine art sculptures for galleries and museums.

Denise Collignon refers to her rich artistic experiences and researches new subjects and materials for her new projects in great detail. Her ‘Girls Stuff’ exhibit is inspired by tribal headwear, which uses different plants, seeds and feathers to offer fertility and corporeal well-being to the gods.

Pritschow’s inorganic objects and Collignon’s organic sculptures create a unique garden of earthly delights. However, often the imagination does not reach as far as nature demands.


Mädchenkram – erotische Handarbeit
Girl’s Stuff – erotic handwork
until 15th July 2012
Kunstverein Leverkusen Schloß Morsbroich e.V. .
Gustav-Heinemann-Str. 80, 51377 Leverkusen