DISPOSSESSED, 10 Years Kunsthaus Dahlem, June 2025, edition of 250

Dispossessed, original drawing created for a tote bag print made in graphite and color pencils using nonbinary typography Archetype Open Form, where the letters’ hierarchical vertical and horizontal lines are erased. Dimension: 40 x 30 cm, commissioned for 10 years of Kunsthaus Dahlem, Berlin, curated by Başak Şenova in dialogue with Dorothea Schöne.

The inspiration came from the text The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction written by Ursula K. Le Guin in 1986, returning us to the beginning of the human creation and basic survival, which is not related to the creation of weapons for destruction and conquer and collection of possessions, but “that the earliest cultural inventions must have been a container to hold gathered products and some kind of sling or net carrier”, probably created by women, where one could carry the collected fallen fruits or seeds back home.
We should forget the well-known story of the hero, the conqueror, who brought us to today's troubles caused by massive exploitation and extraction, and start a new story of possible future survival —the story of dispossession and living in balance with nature.

Başak Şenova: “Commissioned in honour of Kunsthaus Dahlem’s anniversary and developed in close dialogue with Dorothea Schöne, the tote bag project brought together exceptional artists. Echoing the transformation of Kunsthaus Dahlem—from a former Nazi-era studio to a centre for contemporary artistic dialogue—these tote bags unite design and critical reflection. They serve as portable reminders of the museum’s layered past and progressive present."