Stephanie Comilang
How To Make A Painting From Memory
ChertLüdde, Berlin
17 September – 29 October 2022

ChertLüdde presents the first solo exhibition of Filipina-Canadian artist Stephanie Comilang within the gallery context.

The exhibition takes as a starting point the community of Thai women present in the German capital and their custom of gathering in Preußenpark, a meeting point but also a source of commerce. Colloquially called Thai Park, the grounds shift into a Sunday market during the warmer months of April to October, offering the possibilities of economic independence to its vendors.

Comilang’s video installation details the historical-political forces and the community behind Berlin’s Thai Park through a video installation accompanied by a new series of 3D printed sculptures. With interviews shot in both Berlin and Thailand, the film focuses on bringing together multiple ideas of communal architectures. How does the migrant female make space within spaces that aren’t her own and how do we draw lines between an architecture of belonging?

A critical text by Rosalia Namsai Engchuan accompanies the exhibition.

Stephanie Comilang, Installation view of How To Make A Painting From Memory, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2022; PLA filament, paint, gold leaf, wallpaper background

Stephanie Comilang, Spirit House (Phra Phum) IV, 2022; Installation view of How To Make A Painting From Memory, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2022; PLA filament, paint, gold leaf, wallpaper background

Stephanie Comilang, Spirit House (Phra Phum) II, 2022; Installation view of How To Make A Painting From Memory, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2022; PLA filament, paint, gold leaf, wallpaper background

Stephanie Comilang, Spirit House (Phra Phum) I, 2022; Installation view of How To Make A Painting From Memory, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2022; PLA filament, paint, gold leaf, wallpaper background

Stephanie Comilang, Spirit House (Phra Phum) V, 2022; Installation view of How To Make A Painting From Memory, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2022; PLA filament, paint, gold leaf, wallpaper background

Stephanie Comilang, How To Make A Painting From Memory, 2022; Installation view of How To Make A Painting From Memory, ChertLüdde, Berlin, 2022; HD video, 18′ 17″

Photos by Andrea Rossetti.