In the A TRANS-Vitrine, a former fashion display case at Bahnhof Zoo station, artist Folke Köbberling presents handmade wool fleeces on hangers surrounded by sheep’s wool.

The brand logos crossed out in the title are to be understood as a visual provocation against the advancing culture of so-called fast fashion. These fashion brands are all represented in the immediate vicinity on Kurfürstendamm: Bershka, Boohoo, Express, Forever 21, H&M, Mango, Primark, Pull&Bear, UNIQLO, Zara.

Fast fashion is based on rapid production cycles, cheap labor, high water consumption, the use of hazardous chemicals, and the release of microplastics. It is one of the greatest global environmental threats. Like other business models in the clothing industry, fast fashion also works with advertising promises that imply hope and disappointment and create a dependence on consumption even in children and teenagers.

In this context, Folke Köbberling focuses on sheep’s wool. It is considered a renewable raw material with valuable properties. The wool is washed, carded, and further processed. However, the loss of infrastructure in Europe and the increasing production of synthetic fibers are making its processing increasingly unprofitable.

Köbberling’s work unfolds as a quiet yet powerful reflection on the use of resources, the loss of recyclable materials, and the decline of sustainable production methods. The artist challenges viewers to question this logic.

Folke Köbberling lives and works in Berlin. She teaches and conducts research at the IAK Institute for Architecture-Related Art at the Technical University of Braunschweig.

For further information:

https://www.atrans.org/  |  https://www.folkekoebberling.de

Instagram: @atrans   |   @folkekoebberling

With the support of the Kulturbeirat Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf“