Fibre Art Exhibition in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
I recently visited an exhibition of very small 2D and 3D textile works, each a maximum of 25cm x 25cm x 25cm, at the Cultural Centre Bastion de Carmen, in the Casco Viejo area of the city. The works were assembled by the World Textile Association to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Twenty five Uruguayan and twenty five Chilean artists submitted a work, which will now travel to Chile.
There was no catalogue and very little stated information given on most of the pieces, beyond what you could work out from the title, though some artists referenced techniques used. As I have always believed and quite often said that the best artist statement is a brief, well chosen title, so I shouldn’t complain.
Let me share with you these ones I found most interesting:
“Esplandor” (radiance) Veronica Garrido of Chile used fibres from the agave plant for the delicate needle lace she embroidered around the edges of the skeleton of another plant, hoja, and the slightly more robust-looking lunaria petals. I love it when people use their skills to create something for the technical challenge and a beautiful result.
Natalia Urnia of Chile says of her grandmother’s completely frayed blouse that brought to her mind poetic thoughts of time – the past, present and future.
Doreen Bailey, UY, produced “Artist’s Book’ featuring various materials – metal mesh, gut, beads, raw silk and silk ribbon, using mixed techniques of plaiting, embroidery and crochet. I love the cover – annealed (heat treated) metal mesh which of course is ‘fabric’.
Patriarchy within Uruguayan society clearly weighs heavily on this Uruguayan artist, Ana Maria Casnati, either from personal experience or observation of some situations around her. The grim expression on this lady’s stitched portrait is presented in a house-like dark stained wooden mount/frame, very oppressive in its effect. A really thought provoking work.
Chile artist Inez Campino knitted this copper wire sculpture that immediately said to me ‘abandoned snake skin’.
Estafania Tarud UY exhibited “Fuego”, an intriguing hand stitched representation of a hand holding a cigarette lighter flame in pitch dark.I’m not fond of using embroidery hoops to display finished works, but it is a thing, I know. I felt it is only part finished – I’d have liked to see the image centred in the frame, or otherwise some very dark (but not black) stitching to faintly suggest the presence of the person whose hand is holding the lighter open. And I’d have liked the hoop to be hanging straight on the wall.
Margaret Whyte’s “Insensatez” (Senselessness) is a bit of a mystery to me – but perhaps that’s the point. I looked carefully at it, and the mixed techniques include painting, and tying/stitching down of the discarded mesh fabrics, fibrefill and pebbles with threads and wire, probably from the various meshes in the composition. I’m not sure what it says – definitely not a decorative piece, and I’m not at all sure it makes any effective statement about reusing discarded materials, either…
One of a couple of strange pieces visitors were invited to touch and handle, this one was as unpleasant a handling experience as it appeared at first glance, and I don’t see the point except as a subtle way to say ‘don’t touch’.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, July 4th, 2023 at 2:53 pm and is filed under General.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
English