CALLE HENZEL, Assemblage (Unititled 136-2), 2025
Edition of 99 + 1 AP
Numbered
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity
Hand knotted rug
Wool, Silk, Mohair & Linen
High / Low Cut

Assemblage (Untitled 136-2) originates from Calle Henzel’s studio-based experimentation with torn and cut fragments of paper and other materials, which he arranged, shifted, and layered into new compositions. These early studies explored how a surface can be broken apart, reconfigured, and still retain a sense of cohesion. From these gestures, Henzel translated the language of collage into textile form, creating a work that exists simultaneously as fragment and whole.

The piece evokes the visual qualities of multiple surfaces — weathered stone, oxidized metal, folded fabric, patinated matter, and worn architectural textures. Rather than relying on fixed geometry, it emerges through layered tonal fields, irregular transitions, and shifts in depth that suggest pressure, compression, erosion, and gradual transformation over time. Certain areas appear worn, dissolved, or partially fractured, giving the work a sense of material memory, as if shaped by external forces rather than imposed design.

The title Assemblage refers to the artistic act of bringing disparate elements into a unified whole. Here, that principle unfolds both visually and materially: divided sections retain their individual character while remaining intrinsically connected within the work. The immediacy of collage is preserved, yet through the hand-knotted process it is transformed into an object of tactile depth and sculptural presence.

Executed in wool, silk, mohair, and linen, the surface is further animated through variations in pile height and the use of high and low cut techniques. These shifts introduce a dynamic relief that changes with light and perspective, enhancing the impression of layered strata and reinforcing the dialogue between softness and the appearance of harder, weathered materials.

The result is a textile work that moves beyond conventional rug typologies, occupying a space between composition, artifact, and spatial object — where fragmentation, transformation, and cohesion coexist within a single form.

Image: Portrait of Calle Henzel. Courtesy the artist.