Ceramics are presented side by side.

Jugs and vases as one would imagine, but also those that look more like a stone with a hole, a coral or a medieval saucepan.

And then suddenly there is a life-size arm with a hand or a shell-like structure.

The triumphant can be found next to the modest, the amazing next to the traditional, the bizarre next to the inconspicuous.

Katharina Deschka

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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There is a lot to discover in the exhibition “Kunsthandwerk ist Kaktus”, with which the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt will be examining its own collection of arts and crafts from the second half of the 20th century at the interface with design and the visual arts for the first time.

Curator Sabine Rund has selected around 700 exhibits and arranged them in diverse rows and installations for the show according to the materials used - paper, wood, textile, glass, metal and ceramics and their intended use.

The works are also sorted chronologically.

From 1945 to the 2000s, their range extends, so that changes in the design language and choice of materials can be seen.

Free or applied art

But classifications are not in the foreground. On the contrary, the show aims to question familiar terminology. Also with the title “Cactus”, which is supposed to stand for the ambiguous, as elusive as the prickly plants themselves. There is no clear definition for many of the objects shown, says museum director Matthias Wagner K: “It tips over, that makes it exciting. “And it is indeed evident that the separation between fine and applied arts does not work for a large number of the exhibits. Or what should Stefan Wewerka's chair, which slides to the side, be used for? Does the elegant sculpture really serve to give off light? And can you still drink tea with the pot on four legs?

Probably not, and it is much more interesting to find out how experimentally one can deal with shapes, materials, technology and decor. Installations on subjects such as plates and necklaces show the viewer the wealth of ideas of their creators. Of course, mastery of the material is always a prerequisite. There is a filigree chain made of confetti snippets in silver wire, another with geometric pendants made of silver and perforated sheet metal, and another with pendants like saw blades.

So you can see, compare and discover an incredible amount.

As if on an adventure trip, the visitor strolls through the 1,600 square meters of exhibition space, which does not dictate any direction and also allows rushing forward and back.

The form of the presentation is deliberately sober.

The exhibits are presented on simple, white shelves, showcases and tables as if they were still in the depot.

In this way, the visitor can concentrate on the works, from which nothing distracts, he can relate them to one another and experience their effect, which is also based on their originality and differentiates them from mass-produced goods.

Mastery in material

One did not want to distract the visitors with the names of the artists and other information, which is why there are only letters and numbers for each work. If you want to find out more, you have to read the small print on one of the walls, which are papered with all the necessary information. It's not exactly easy, but on purpose, says Rund: "The visitors should practice seeing and discover for themselves." And find out what handicrafts can be, as the sound installation in the stairwell suggests. A “performative act”, “radically individual”, “directly analogous”, “life practice”, “mastery in material” or “decorative fulfillment”. All of this together is probably best.

The show can be seen in the Museum of Applied Art;

to 22 March, open Tuesdays 12 to 6 p.m., Wednesdays 12 noon to 8 p.m. and Thursdays to Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.