Pascale Goldenberg

• Born in Paris, 1960
• Studies of Geology in Grenoble, France; Diploma of »Alpine Geology«
• Living in Freiburg i. Br. with family since 1986
• Since 1989 freelance artist and manager of workshops in adult education (textile design)
• Author of numerous articles in German and French textile journals
• Ever since 1996 various individual exhibitions in France and Germany, as well as participation in numerous competitions and exhibitions in Europe, the USA, and Japan
• Organisation of several textile events: »Textile Kultur Wochen (Textile Culture Weeks)« in Freiburg 1996, EU travelling exhibition »Fäden verbinden Frauen (Threads Connect Women)« 2008-10, EU-travelling exhibition by Guldusi
• 2000 accepted into Bundesverband Bildender Künstler (BBK Süd-Baden) = Artistorganisation
• Since 2005 artistic adviser of a social and artistic project in Afghanistan (DAI e.V. Freiburg)

Statement

The combination of activities as different as those of a freelance artist, a teacher and a supervisor of the embroidery projects presented a challenge that proved difficult to cope with in the long run. On the one hand, the responsibility for more than 200 embroiderers was a priority, on the other hand, however, I could not abandon my artistic activities, nor did I want to. Thus, it became necessary during the years to find ways to connect everything into a harmonious ensemble. The resolution of the problem was a direct combination of my art with my work for the Afghan project.

The result are two trends:
There is an enormous discrepancy between my status as a Western European woman and that of Afghan women. I am “free” and can travel to Afghanistan, while Afghan women do not even own ID cards. They are “unfree”, they usually are not allowed to make any individual decisions. They cannot leave their houses on their own, and if they are allowed to go out, they can only do so completely veiled; and they cannot decide if their daughters may go to school.

As a symbol of this specific Afghan problem, I have chosen the tshaderi, the full-body veil of Afghan country women, as a topic of my artistic work.

During the years, there developed a series of my own artistic „veiling“, which I presented in an exhibition titled »Verstellte Blicke (obstructed looks)« (see separate text and images). This series is still growin, as my personal processing has not been finished yet. Part of it is a textile book, a collage „Die Afghanin“ (the Afghan woman), a collection of texts (from literature, as well as the press).

The embroideries are produced on disused but well-preserved bedsheets that have been collected in Germany aver the years. In order to avoid high costs of transport (to Kabul and back) due to unnecessary weight, defective parts of the sheets are removed. Thus, large amounts of material result, which are the basis of my artistic work: wall hangings or floor installations dominated by shades of white. These are my reaction to the problems of Afghan women, which I transcribe artistically and creatively.