During my stay at The Danish Art Workshops (metal, clay, textile), I developed new works for my solo exhibition “Bodegones“ at MARINA GISICH GALLERY.
Nov 2021
Process – working in the different departments
I worked in the Textile lab to dye some rope for the installation of my glass sculptures.
I used the natural color Cochineal, which is an organic color made of living bugs. The color is used for all kinds of decorative cosmetic products as well as traditional textile dyeing, and for me it was interesting to work with, since it’s a natural die, giving very intense variative shades of reds. This is, in spite of its green organic nature. To get the exact color, you must kill the living and pregnant insect!
Using this kind of coloring ads an extra layer to my storytelling for “Bodegones”.
I wish to evoke this paradox of pure materialism and pure instinct. I like to study this ever lasting clash between emotions and material – and our eternal struggle as humans to repress our immediate needs in order to appear civilized and to function in a material world.
In the Metal workshop I have produced supportive metal constructions for the project.
In the small clay studio I experimented with materials by mixing porcelain and glass.
Thematic Approach
My project revolves around the story of my grandmother, who worked in a bomb factory during second world war. Once she came to work after an explosion, she found nothing but womens hair lying on the ground.
In relation to my grandmother’s story I made braided hair out of clay and porcelain in combination with glass (which tended to explode). Porcelain is an unknown material for me, and given the opportunity to experiment with different ceramic materials has been crucial for the project.