Yes. I'm the kind of art geek that takes a photo of the show statement because...well...the statement says it much better than I could paraphrase or summarize. I'll let you in on another little secret - what took to me this exhibit was the prospect of seeing more of Dorothy Caldwell's work. She is the one, after all, who has turned mending into art in our time. The Japanese have been doing it for centuries with their exquisite boro, yet boro was done for functional purposes, not artistic ones.
As with each exhibit I've viewed so far, there has been a handful of works that spoke to me, captured my attention and creative imagination, grabbed me and didn't want to turn loose. The same was true of Ilaria Margutti's magnificent Mend of Me series.
Ilaria Margutti, Mend of Me, 2009
embroidery on canvas
statement accompanying Ilaria's work
To view other works by Ilaria click here. Her web site is in Italian, but the photos of her work transcend any spoken language.
To view my photos in a larger format, just double click on the one you want to view. Enjoy!
My mothers' skill is to mend. She can fix any rip, tear, or hole. At least, she used to...now at the age of 93.5 she's holding on by a thread. When I was in sculpture class in college, there was some reason I had to bring my own rags to class. My prof commented that he'd never seen a 'rag' that was mended. Yes, that's my mom. Even the rags were mended in our house.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely memory to have of your mother. There seems to something about that generation - depression era, perhaps - that lends to sewing, mending, making the most of whatever is at hand.
DeleteAnother friend's mom was a seamstress who also quilted. Now at 93 as well, she quilts obsessively at times...when the dementia allows her to remember how.
I know it's a cliche, but my heart really does go out to you and my friend. My own mom is in good health at 72 yet I know that all too soon that will change as we all age.