ARTAPESTRY7 Exhibition
FOREWORD ARTAPESTRY7 2024
European Tapestry Forum’s 7th triennial features diverse and contemporary tapestries by 34 artists from 15 countries.
We are pleased to invite you to see ARTAPESTRY7, 37 works, exhibited around Europe and to visit the ETF website where the main catalogue is available in an online digital format.
Each ARTAPESTRY exhibition is based on a careful selection of artworks chosen by an international committee of jurors which includes experts of various field. A panel of three artists and experts chose the participants and works from a total of 120 submissions by 72 weavers from 20 countries. The jury noted the wide ranges of different styles and themes amongst the submitted works.
The jury included Director Dr. Isa Fleischmann-Heck from Deutsches Textilmusuem in Krefeld, Germany; Professor Clio Padovani from Winchester School of Art in Winchester, UK and tapestry artist Livia Papai from Budapest, Hungary.
The jurors met at the Danish Art Workshop “Gammel Dok”, a charming old warehouse located at the old port in Copenhagen, for an inspiring and valuable three-day discussion and reflections of innovative tendencies in contemporary tapestry, practice and diversity of handwoven tapestry versus jacquard-woven tapestry.
European Tapestry Forum (ETF) which organizes ARTAPESTRY7, is artist-led by a Steering Committee of tapestry artists from several European countries, now in its 24th year. Its aim is to increase the visibility of this ancient art form. ETF is run daily by a Copenhagen-based secretariat.
ETF has also organized a series master classes and hosted artists in-residence at various locations in northern Europe over the years.
ETF defines tapestry as weft-faced works handwoven with discontinuous wefts. This constitutes a fairly strict focus on traditional tapestry, but leaves room open for experiments with materials. ETF is interested in the interface between tradition, inspiration and innovation which is a hallmark of this art form. “ETF’s main aim is to promote handwoven tapestry, but in order to encourage innovation in the field, the jury will be open to selecting a small number of works (no more than10% of the exhibition) executed in related techniques such as Jacquard weaving. All works must meet all other selection criteria.”
We have many people to thank. First and foremost, all the artists, new and previous, for their participation and trust. It is very important that tapestry artists submit their work to ARTAPESTRY shows, even if their work is not selected. Everyone’s commitment made it possible to keep the contemporary tapestry still alive and visible in the 21st century.
Then we would like to thank the jury who worked so intensely to put together a strong and successful exhibition.
We would also like to thank our four museum partners who open their doors and do their utmost to display and highlight each and every artwork ARTAPESTRY7 will be showing for the next two years on the following tours:
Deutsches Textilmuseum, Krefeld, Germany.
KunstCenter Silkeborg Bad,Silkeborg, Denmark.
Janinos Monkutes-Marks Museum, Lithuania.
Szombathely Gallery, Szombathely, Hungary.
A special thanks to Dr. Isa Fleiscmann who has written the exhibition topics and thanks for essay contributions to ATA Chairman, artist Shelley Socolofsky and artist Thomas Cronenberg.
Finally, a great thank to ETF’s Steering Committee for ongoing support, for graphic design by Marie Frølich and especially thanks to project coordinator Olivia Aguilera Malinovsky highly valued sparring partner.
Anet Brusgaard
For ETF’s Secretariat in Copenhagen
EXHIBITION
Joan Baxter
(Scotland)
Title: Still After Sunset, 2020, 175 x 145
Photo: Michael Wolchover
Photo: Steve Clarke
Joan Baxter
Ever since I was a small child, I have been inspired by the wild landscapes of the north. I still love exploring in the hills, looking for the layers of occupation in the now empty land. Most of my work celebrates my home landscapes with their myths and mysteries and with their shared heritage where Gael and Norse overlap. My current work attempts to capture the magical transcendent stillness that sometimes occurs when the tide is on the turn, early in the morning or in the evening. “Still after Sunset” shows the almost still water with broken reflections of the mountains and headlands picked out in colour in the final rays of the setting sun.
Brita Been
(Norway)
Title: Three Stockings & A Shirt Front Embroidery / Tre Strømper & Et Bringebroderi, 2020, 400 x 200 cm
Photo: Istvan Virag
Photo: Anders Elverhøy
Brita Been
Telemark has strong traditions in textile folk art. "Three Stockings & a Shirt Front Embroidery" is one of the tapestries in my ongoing series, Heirlooms. This series is based on my fascination for the beautiful Rose Embroidery with its countless variations. Stockings, shirts, braiding, jackets, bodice and national costume shirts are all lavishly decorated with embroidery in stunning color combinations. I want to show this beautiful Rose Embroidery by weaving my own interpretations as large wall tapestries. They are a tribute to women´s work and their creative abundance represented in folk art.
Marie-Thumette Brichard
(France)
Title: Poles 5, 2022, 89 x 136 cm
Photo: Hervé Cohonner
Photo: Jean-Michel Brichard
Marie-Thumette Brichard
Today when everything must be done in a great hurry, tapestry may seem to be anachronistic. For me tapestry is an obvious fact, I love this slow lonely work out of time, where creation meets technical constraints and the tactile pleasure of weaving. This tapestry is part of a series inspired by the sea, its light and above all infinite and immaterial blue.
Anet Brusgaard
(Denmark)
Title: Petits gubbes d’or de la terre noire II / Guldgubber fra Sorte Muld, 2023, 160 x 200 cm
Photo: Ole Akhøj
Photo: Dan Svarth
Anet Brusgaard
Guldgubber/ petits gubbes d’or de la terre noire (small gold-foil figures from the Iron Age) are cultic votive offerings and mythical runes – iconographic and magical” emblems” expressing powerful existential messages to the outer world. More than 1,200 guldgubber were found in the Sorte Muld on the small island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. These guldgubber, tiny little ones, paper-thin gold-foil figures embossed on one side most often with a couple and particular for Sorte Muld single figures and primitive animals such as bears and pigs.
Ariadna Donner
(Finland)
Title: Kigisian Butterfly, 2019, 100 x 100 cm
Photo: Ilkka Hietala
Ariadna Donner
Butterflies are wonderful creatures. Their birth is an almost miraculous metamorphosis. The egg becomes a caterpillar… and eventually the butterfly hatches from the cocoon. And what do we see? A beautiful, light, symmetrical object, which flies from flower to flower. In this way the insect also vitalizes the ecological surroundings, the vegetation. My husband’s grandfather, Otto Donner, wrote a book about his explorations in Central Asia. He reproduced wall decorations of Kyrgyz butterflies which became the book’s illustrations. I have woven some of them into my tapestry.
Lise Frølund
(Denmark)
Title: Trees, 2021, 70 x 430 cm
Photo: Lise Frølund
Lise Frølund
In my practice I often stack several layers of woven material on top of one another. Each layer its own colour. Will they interlace? How many details are needed for my trees to appear? “It is a matter of grinding craft rather than lofty art.”
Carmen Groza
(Belgium)
Title: Voyage Dans L'inconnu, 2019-2022, 200 x 160 cm
Photo: André Leclerq
Photo: Eric Loyens
Carmen Groza
Journey into the unknown. Traveling into the unknown means looking at the world, accepting that we remain in doubt and questioning. It is the desire to join our fellow travelers during our mysterious passage on Earth.
Birgitta Hallberg
(Denmark)
Title: My Family, 2020, 130 x 106 cm
Photo: Ole Akhøj
Birgitta Hallberg
Wedding photo of my mom and dad their future dreams? I often refer to the life and creatures in the beech woods from the Sweden of my childhood. I combine tapestry techniques with a very free use of the old rose path technique. I weave dreams from the country of my childhood. It is a journey to the garden of my childhood, inspired by the country in Skåne, where my mother would often take photos of me in the garden. These are the memories I want to retain in the journey to the brightly coloured flowering garden of childhood.
Mette Hansen
(Denmark)
Title: Animal Tale, 2022, 148 x 195 cm
Photo: Jeanette Thorup
Mette Hansen
Since childhood I have walked along the stone-filled shores of Denmark hunting for fossils. Subconsciously, the eye learns to recognize lines, colours, patterns, shapes and shadows in the ever-changing surface of the beach. A stone has many diverse expressions and is my source of inspiration. It can be twisted and turned in any direction-it is multi-dimensional. I turn the pictures in these stones into watercolours or use adapted photos of the stones which in turn serve as the basic design for my tapestries.
Feliksas Jakubauskas
(Lithuania)
Title: Gray Spiral , 2022, 130 x 152 cm
Photo: Arūnas Baltėnas
Title: Three Spheres, 2022, 130 x 152 cm
Photo: Arūnas Baltėnas
Feliksas Jakubauskas
My oeuvre is inspired by the surrounding world and personal experiences. I attempt to create the perception of space on the flat tapestry surface. The mystery of the Universe and world order, fragility and eternity inspire most of my works. In this tapestry I tried to express various states of nature and the human condition in geometrical shapes using the blend of techniques typical to classical tapestry and Lithuanian twill weaving with an aim to developing modern art forms.
Aino Kajaniemi
(Finland)
Title: Depression, 2022, 125 x 130 cm
Photo: Aino Kajaniemi
Title: In the Depth, 2023, 153 x 196
Photo: Aino Kajaniemi
Aino Kajaniemi
My son has had depression for many years. To be depressed is to be tired. One's life has no meaning, you feel like an outsider, have bad self-worth, difficulty making decisions and becoming interested in things. You feel broken. Although the topic is sad, I aimed to create optimistic, even beautiful pieces and on the other hand I would have a hard time coping if I don't see light and beauty in his life.
Photo: Juha Kajaniemi
Søren Krag
(Denmark-Norway)
Title: Guilloché IV (Afternoon for Oxide Scattered Crystal and Nickellate), 2020,
320 x 160 cm
Photo: Kunsthall Oslo
Søren Krag
I focus on the meeting between textile and digital tools. I am preoccupied with ideas of ornamentation which have wandered between civilizations and cultural regions. Here I have expanded the graphic concept of the Guilloché interlace. Executed as a double weave, the tapestry's two sides are inversions of each other and employ color gradients to convey a sense of depth.
Photo: Kristen Keegan
Ann Naustdal
(Norway)
Title: Embers, 2023, 150 x 150 cm
Photo: Kim Müller
Photo: Charles Cooper
Ann Naustdal
A circle of the last burning matter as the forest fire dies down and before the forest's circle of life starts its restoration. I have wanted to capture a place and a moment in time, of dark earth and bright embers, as part of a larger narrative about fire destruction and renewal.
Gudrun Pagter
(Denmark)
Title: Pillar, 2023, 240 x 270 cm
Photo: Atelier Egtved
Gudrun Pagter
The three tapestries that make up the work “Pillars” are inspired by the column form with the long lines, the feeling of support and the interaction between the 3 “units”. The warp is black linen. The weft is linen, wool and goat hair. The tapestries are finished with a braided edge.
Renata Rozsivalová
(Czech Republic)
Title: Balance of Eternity, 2023, 270 x 160 cm
Photo: Jaroslav Rajzík
Photo: Jaroslav Rajzík
Renata Rozsivalová
The structure of lichen in counterpoint with gravestones evokes the balance of the eternity of life and at the same time also its transience in time of history.
Irina Kolesnikova
(Germany)
Title: The Cage, 2022, 138 x 98
Photo: Lazim Dermaku
Photo: Ekaterina Reinhardt
Irina Kolesnikova
The rays of the sun and the blue sky as symbols of a harmonious and happy life are only barely breaking through the cage of unfreedom, violence and political struggle created by man himself. This is the idea behind my tapestry "The Cage". It consists of several interconnected individual pieces, each made in my own unique weaving technique. The warp is flax; weft is silk, flax and polyester.
Elzbieta Kedzia
(Poland)
Title: Nebuleuse II, 2020, 170 x 240
Photo: Dr Janusz Kucharski
Elzbieta Kedzia
Designs for my works are based on the use of graphic elements and their placement on the fabric plane according to the composition rules of Wladyslaw Strzeminski, the Polish creator of unism. The range of colours is limited due to the desire to clearly draw the attention of the recipient to the fabric compositions! Autor of portrait is me! Amicalement Elżbieta kędzia
Photo: Elżbieta Kędzia
Sarah Perret
(France)
Title: The Crepuscular Zone, 2022, 200 x 200
Photo: Jean Blanch
Sarah Perret
“The crepuscular zone” is the second part of a quartet on the global theme of the chimaera (chimera), giving form to the phenomenon of hybridization in the vegetable, animal and human world, on the borders of the real and the imaginary.
The ocean is an abyss awakening immemorial fears.
The people of abysses will keep their part of the mystery for a long time, protected as it is by the pervading black of the ocean’s depths.
Photo: Hervé Baroni
Linda Green
(Scotland)
Title: Interdiction, 2023, 160 x 215
Photo: Keith Smith
Photo: Brent Myers
Linda Green
“Interdiction” - Dense and translucent areas of weaving where the blue warp is exposed, create depth of field and amplify structure. Ends finished to the front enrich the surface and reflect gesture, mark and movement. In this panorama, converging and diverging vertical lines represent the status quo of everyday life. Suddenly, this continuum has been halted by four intruders.
Margret Eicher
(Germany)
Title: Assunta, 2020, 308 x 207
Photo: Nicolaus Steglich
Title: Face & Identity, 2022, 280 x 430
Photo: Galerie Michael Janssen
Photo: Estefania Landesmann
Margret Eicher
During a journey along the Loire I unexpectedly encountered the courtly tapestry, a pictorial form that closely relates to today's media images in terms of communication power and influence. My work focuses on the public image on the internet and the motifs that shape our view of the world. From these images, I create new narratives through digital collages, which are then woven in cooperation with a digital weaving mill - about 80 pieces in the last twenty years.
Aleksandre Parol
(Poland)
Title: There Will Be Blood, 2023, 127 x 121
Photo: Bartosz Zielinski
Photo: Bartosz Zielinski
Aleksandra Parol
‘’There Will Be Blood.’’ Dirt. Anger. Terror. Violence. Cruelty. Reality Then and Now. This tapestry was woven during the last months of 2023, inspired by the current situation in the world, political and social events and world history. It is also inspired by scenes from historic hunting tapestries and verdures.
Peter Horn
(Germany)
Title: Prayer for Christopher Columbus, 2022, 205 x 167
Photo: Fotostudio Renard Kiel
Photo: Regine Gabriel
Peter Horn
This tapestry was realised from a photo I took when visiting Sevilla Cathedral where Christopher Columbus is buried.
Lija Rage
(Latvia)
Title: Where does the road lead?, 2020, 110 x 2020
Photo: Rūta Pirta-Dreimane
Photo: Rūta Pirta-Dreimane
Lija Rage
In my weaving and exploration of textile techniques, I transcend the mechanical to evoke a profound sermon, a mystique where each thread, metal shard, or sliver of wood discovers its unique place, contributing to an emotionally charged entirety. My work embodies the poignant inquiry: "Where does the road lead?" This question resonates deeply with the contemporary global landscape, particularly in Europe, urging us to confront the decisive paths shaping our collective future.
Dorota Taranek
(Poland)
Title: Imago Olivetum, 2021, 180 x 120
Photo: Andrzej Domiza
Photo: Jana Vorontsova
Dorota Taranek
With this series of tapestries, I took a break from making jacquards. It required from me a different kind of focus, although the rules of the technique I’ve chosen were still very important. However, it is up to me to interpret the initial design regardless of the weaving technique. That’s how I can show who I really am while staying loyal to using natural materials. I can say I experience freedom within the established rules.
Marilyn Piirsalu
(Estonia)
Title: With the Book, 2023, 233 x 82
Photo: Marilyn Piirsalu
Photo: Marilyn Piirsalu
Marilyn Piirsalu
A trained graphic artist, I started to weave 10 years ago. My works are inspired by the life of an introvert, moments of self-reflection. Tapestries are woven on a handloom with RailReed - an adjustable weaving reed.
Ieva Prane
(Latvia)
Title: In the gardens of light, 2022, 220 x 145
Photo: Ansis Klucis
Ieva Prane
Valuing the current moment, the “now”; understanding how a garden can be a material tree with light playing through its leaves, although it can also be the medieval concept of a “garden of our souls”. Each one of us need to grow into something special no matter when. A single life can be this seedling and there is no telling whether you will grow up to be a dandelion in a field, or a baobab.
Photo: Ansis Klucis
Dace Grinberga
(Latvia)
Title: Birches, 2022, 197 x 80
Photo: Dace Grīnberga
Photo: Gatis Grīnbergs
Dace Grinberga
Exploring society's bond with nature, my work symbolizes our shared responsibility in shaping the future. Amid global eco-dialogues, it urges public involvement in restoring nature and highlights the environmental paradox using non-biodegradable materials. Prompting reflection on humanity's role in nature, it advocates for sustainable practices.
Hele
(Latvia)
Title: I Will Meet You At The River, 2020, 130 x 163
Photo: Hele
Photo: Hele
Hele
In the process of creating art, I am inspired by nature and the immaterial world. I observe the processes of the natural environment, the relationship between micro and macro elements in it and the processes affecting or interacting with it. The meditative process of the creation of art works itself is very important to me, which is especially manifested in the ancient technique of weaving.
Izabel Walczak
(Poland)
Title: Neptis Rivularis, 2022, 260 x 80
Photo: Izabela Walczak
Photo: Izabela Walczak
Izabel Walczak
This project was inspired by the world of night butterflies. I refer to the beauty, which is imperceptible and not obvious. A beauty that could cease to exist. Our world is constantly changing, it is being destroyed by humans. We are attracted to the light of new technologies and consumerism, but it is treacherous and not without negative effects on ourselves.
Anna Olsson
(Sweden)
Title: Lynx 5, 2022, 120 x 145
Photo: Anna Olsson
Photo: Anna Olsson
Anna Olsson
I try to understand the world on my loom, and the tapestries become my answer to change. I weave because I want to tell something. I listen, see and meet people. I think, ponder and images arise. Images that become tapestries.
Tonje Høydahl Sørli
(Norway)
Title: Selfexpression in Life, 2022, 130 x 128
Photo: Tonje Høydahl Sørli
Photo: Tale Haugen Sørli
Tonje Høydahl Sørli
This tapestry: Selfexpression in Life, was made with thought for selfexpression: to be in relationship with others. And to try to build new ones/build love. Also has this piece been made to point to the workin tapestry (and tools) by hand. I used angora to get more structure and of course linen and spelsau-wool.
Ana-Maria Rugescu
(Romania)
Title: Chromatic Rhythm, 2019, 72 x 200
Photo: Horia Stefan Trânc
Photo: Horia Stefan Trânc
Ana-Maria Rugescu
Hautte lisse tapestry with handmade wool knots. I used three-dimensional expressive stylizations. It is the game of shapes and patches of colour with visible graphic solutions and chromatics. The images are of symmetrical and repeating brush strokes. The tapestry has various primary colors, warm and cool, red, white, yellow, blue and coloured greys contrasting with the dark background.
Edit Balogh
(Romania)
Title: Resonance, 2021, 200 x 200
Photo: Edit Balog
Photo: Somodi Ildikó
Edit Balogh
In this piece, “Resonance”, three defining visual elements can be distinguished. The first is a spiral line, the second is a vertical and horizontal axis line and the third is the blue-coloured surface delicately sprinkled with colourful and golden sparkles. In these symbolic meanings, we find the space of human existence where human history takes place in constant continuity expressed by both the infinity and depth signed by the blue colour and spiral form and the cross of mundane and transcendental dimensions of human ontology.
Louise Martin
(Isle of Man)
Title: Island, 2023, 128 x 152
Photo: Louise Martin
Photo: Ros Bryant
Louise Martin
Connection, belonging, being within and responding to a place is what forms my work. Times in life, travels to disparate landscapes find expression in the interplay of weft held by warp. Here, in ”Island”, direction may shift, segments contrast, but the cycle remains unbroken - the space within encapsulated, bound, defined - the encircling flow alive with threads rising to the surface, submerging, re-emerging, remixed.