Shit Talk was part of the exhibition Material Arrangement, a Goethe Satellite at the 221A Artist Run Centre in Vancouver, curated by Jaz Halloran & Tracy Stefanucci.

[Excerpt from project description]
Material Arrangement brings together two Vancouver artists, Andy Chung and Christy Nyiri, and two Berlin artists, Anette K Hansen and Easton West, to explore the role of graphic treatment in the conveyance of meaning. Drawing from the utilitarian nature of the visuals being examined, the title of the exhibition describes what the artists have been asked to do—arrange a collection of materials—and asserts that the arrangement of graphical forms is material to meaning-making in graphic design.

My response to the project description involved collecting over 500 photographs of hand lettering from various public bathrooms in Berlin. The the lettering in the photos were used to design a pattern which was later applied to wallpaper and fabric to create an interior scene within the gallery. All of the original lettering can be seen at www.anettekhansen.tumblr.com.

[Excerpt from my artist statement]
Shit Talk combines my passions for upcycling, furniture and interior with my obsession for pattern creation. Through the process of collecting the bathroom writing I quickly started drawing parallels between the process of upcycling objects and materials to that of upcycling words and meaning. Removed from their original context, the privacy of a closed bathroom stall, and arranged into intricate Victorian inspired patterns the crude and often lewd hand lettering become delicate and almost dainty. The application of the patterns onto wallpaper and upholstered antique furniture further removes the scribbles from the gritty to the refined, altering the way they are viewed and giving them added value.