PRESS

Hantrax Dolls is an artistic project by Antwerp-based composer, musician, and performer Han Swolfs, better known as Hantrax. A key protagonist of the Antwerp underground, Hantrax’s live performances of electronic music, in particular, create atmospheres of vitality and hypnotism. Their life of creativity is so unbridled that they are equally embraced by Antwerp’s creative community, including its visual artists and designers as much as the music scene.

Hantrax Dolls is an ongoing project by the artist in which making a doll is part of their daily ritual. For Hantrax, these everyday dolls are 'non-intentional' creations, without a predetermined form, so intuition is the key. The exhibition shows a selection of their growing doll community with references from music, literature, and the internet.

During each exhibition, Hantrax organizes a workshop where they invite both artists and the public to give free rein to the creation of unique dolls, made from every conceivable material, no matter how ephemeral. Hantrax invited artist and designer friends to participate. The workshop dolls are all labeled "Hantrax Dolls by ..." and are added to the exhibition. Renowned names such as Ann Demeulemeester, Luc Tuymans, Carla Arocha & Stéphane Schraenen, Vedran Kopljar, Kati Heck, and many others all created their own Hantrax Doll.

Each of these dolls has its own name and story, and together they form a growing family of symbols for free expression, fantasy, non-normativity, and joy.