Woven In Blood and Earth, 2024
Inspiration & Context
;)
Rita Renata’s 7th Birthday, 17 July, 2002.
Photograph from my Mother’s family archive.
;)
Hand sewn Kalocsa embroidery by my Mother. 52 x 35 cm
Inspired by a sculpture seminar on personal vernacular, this work serves as both a tribute and an emotional embodiment of my mother and ancestors. It draws from my mother’s collection of Kalocsa embroidered pieces, which were integral to my upbringing. Viewing these pieces as metaphorical remnants of my personal history, I was interested in examining their material histories as transgenerational heritage, exploring how these remnants can contribute to healing from the impacts of trauma and conflict, particularly in the face of migration and displacement.
Benchmarking Research
The People’s Art
Kalocsa embroidery, a distinctive Hungarian art form, exemplifies the intersection of cultural heritage and transformation. While rooted in Hungary, its motifs and techniques have evolved, reflecting a nature-centred philosophy and a generational exchange of knowledge. This embroidery is not merely decorative but a direct participant in history, embodying the voices and traditions of working-class people, historically referred to as ‘people’s art’ in Hungary (Hofner and Fél, 1979).
As Szalaváry (1980) observes, embroidery designs were traditionally passed from mother to daughter, each generation adding personal touches, renewing cultural heritage without replicating it. Originally characterized by white floral motifs, the industrial revolution introduced vibrant colours, transforming the art while maintaining its essence. Yet, this transformation wasn’t without consequence. As embroidery became a commodity for the elite, its creators earned minimal wages, and with globalisation, it was abandoned for Western fashions like denim. However, it remains an emotional tribute to the people who preserved its essence.
For me, Kalocsa embroidery represents a memory of safety and serves as a tribute to my mother, grandmother and ancestors. It embodies resilience, bridging past and present,
and acts as a lens for understanding the complexities and healing power of cultural inheritance. In my research, I aim to transpose memories of safety from our working-class
home into the gallery space, examining their healing potential in addressing the complex longing and confusion I experience in the face of migration.
Practitioner Research
Craft & Vernacular in the Gallery
;)
Fig1: Jeffrey Gibson - The Space in Which to Place Me, 2024. US Pavilion, 60th Venice Biennale, Italy. Ceramic, glass beads, nylon fringe, canvas, cooed-rolled mild steel, steel plate. 274.3 x 106.7 x 106. 7 cm
;)
Fig2: Yinka Shonibare CBE - The War Library, 2024, Serpentine South Gallery, London. Installation view. 5, 270 books bound in Dutch wax print cotton. Dimensions variable.
;)
Fig3: Red Hong Yi - My Alleyway Memories (Once Upon A Longtang), 2023. National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mixed-media installation, dimensions variable. Gallery view.
;)
Fig4: Aziza Kadyri - Don’t Miss The Cue, 2024. Uzbekistan Pavilion, 60th Venice Biennale, Italy. Installation view. Dimensions variable.
;)
Fig5: Mona Hatoum - Twelve Windows, 2012-13. 12 pieces of Palestinian embroidery on fabric, wooden clothes-pegs, and steel cable. Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Installation view. Dimensions variable.
;)
Fig6: Igshaan Adams - Vroegeling by die Voordeur (early light by the front door), 2020, beads, cotton twine, wire, turmeric tea, fabric dye. 226 x is 190 cm. Collection Betg Rudin DeWoody.
I am interested in the work of contemporary practitioners, who explore the interconnectedness of personal, political, and economic vernaculars, recognising material histories as powerful tools for cultural survival, innovation, and healing from the impacts of trauma and conflict. Through the synthesis of media and concepts within their specific histories and contexts, these artists create multidimensional atmospheres within the gallery setting, that invite audiences to step into the shoes of those who have experienced, and continue to experience social, political and economic injustices.
For instance Fig1. uses materials often dismissed as craft to monumentalise people and stories that have historically been ignored, celebrating individuals and communities who
preserved their dignity and traditions in impossible circumstances (Gibson, 2024). Fig2. explores the history of war and peace through 5,270 books bound in Dutch wax batik,
raising questions about human memory and amnesia, asking whether we truly learn from our conflicts and treaties, or we simply continue to repeat the same catastrophe (Serpentine, 2024). Fig3. utilises old clothing, bamboo poles and red calligraphy paper to address themes of impermanence, tradition and urbanisation. Drawing on personal archive photos, it reflects the complex longing and confusion of the artist in the face of migration (Yi, 2023).
Fig4. incorporates blue patchwork curtains, subtly depicting the artist’s former family house, resembling a neural network retrieving data from a collective knowledge pool to fill in memory gaps amid confusion. This piece seeks to gradually clarify, challenging viewers to engage in a space where their presence fluctuates, reflecting the experiences of migrants who face the discomfort of inhabiting both the roles of the observed and the observer simultaneously (Kadyri, 2024). Fig5. features twelve Palestinian embroidery on fabric, each representing a key region of Palestine combined with steel cable, inviting visitors to navigate through physical and mental barriers. This work evokes the challenges faced by countless people around the world (MFAH, 2024). Fig6. employs beads, cotton twine, turmeric tea and fabric dye to create ‘desired lines’ a makeshift pathway linking Cape Town suburbs to townships established under the Group Areas Act of 1961 for coloured communities, forcibly removed from the city (Marill and Hunegs, 2022). By transposing working-class homes into the gallery space, the work evokes the transcendent in the everyday, recalling the movement of bodies over time. It offers a remembered presence in absence, subtly reflecting the history of people on the move, and those denied the right to move.
For instance Fig1. uses materials often dismissed as craft to monumentalise people and stories that have historically been ignored, celebrating individuals and communities who
preserved their dignity and traditions in impossible circumstances (Gibson, 2024). Fig2. explores the history of war and peace through 5,270 books bound in Dutch wax batik,
raising questions about human memory and amnesia, asking whether we truly learn from our conflicts and treaties, or we simply continue to repeat the same catastrophe (Serpentine, 2024). Fig3. utilises old clothing, bamboo poles and red calligraphy paper to address themes of impermanence, tradition and urbanisation. Drawing on personal archive photos, it reflects the complex longing and confusion of the artist in the face of migration (Yi, 2023).
Fig4. incorporates blue patchwork curtains, subtly depicting the artist’s former family house, resembling a neural network retrieving data from a collective knowledge pool to fill in memory gaps amid confusion. This piece seeks to gradually clarify, challenging viewers to engage in a space where their presence fluctuates, reflecting the experiences of migrants who face the discomfort of inhabiting both the roles of the observed and the observer simultaneously (Kadyri, 2024). Fig5. features twelve Palestinian embroidery on fabric, each representing a key region of Palestine combined with steel cable, inviting visitors to navigate through physical and mental barriers. This work evokes the challenges faced by countless people around the world (MFAH, 2024). Fig6. employs beads, cotton twine, turmeric tea and fabric dye to create ‘desired lines’ a makeshift pathway linking Cape Town suburbs to townships established under the Group Areas Act of 1961 for coloured communities, forcibly removed from the city (Marill and Hunegs, 2022). By transposing working-class homes into the gallery space, the work evokes the transcendent in the everyday, recalling the movement of bodies over time. It offers a remembered presence in absence, subtly reflecting the history of people on the move, and those denied the right to move.
Practitioner Research
Plates — Ceramics
;)
Photo of Mother’s Kalocsa embroidered tablecloth
;)
Trace on paper. 10 x 5 cm
;)
Trace on carbon paper. 10 x 5 cm
;)
Trace on my kitchenware. 10 x 5 cm
;)
Watercolour painting on my kitchenware. 10 x 5 cm
;)
Watercolour painting on my kitchenware. 10 x 5 cm
;)
Digital retrace in Illustrator software. 10 x 5 cm
;)
Digital retrace in Illustrator software. 10 x 5 cm
This was my first experience with ceramics, and I was captivated by the transformation of clay, which mirrors the cycle of life and aligns with my practice exploring resilience, renewal, and our connection to nature. In our community, ceramics symbolize cultural preservation and ancestral traditions. Inspired by a tablecloth embroidery sent by my mother, representing her motherhood and my beginnings, I retraced its motif onto ceramics using pencil, watercolours, and digital tools. This process allowed me to honour my heritage while crafting a narrative that combines personal history with my own voice, supported by the resources of my MA program.
Embroidery tests - hand & digital
Test No.1
Kalocsa inspired hand-embroidery. 1 x 10.5 cm
;)
;)
;)
Test No.2
Kalocsa inspired hand-embroidery. 1 x 15 cm
;)
;)
;)
Test No.3
Kalocsa inspired digital embroidery. 10 x 15 cm
;)
;)
;)
Test No.4
Kalocsa inspired digital embroidery. 40 x 40 cm
;)
;)
;)
Bibliography
Jeffey Gibson: The Space in which to Place Me. Available at: https://www.jeffreygibsonvenice2024.org (Accessed: 19 October 2024).
Hofner, T. and Fel, E. (1979) ‘Distinctive Features of Hungarian Folk Art’ Hungarian Folk Art. Oxford University Press. pp. 55-61.
Kadyri, A. (2024) Don’t Miss The Cue. Available at: https://www.azizakadyri.com/dont-miss-the-cue-uzbekistan-pavillion-venice-biennale1 (Accessed: 19 October 2024).
Marill, R and Hunegs, S. (eds.) (2022) Prime: Art’s Next Generation: Igshaan Adams. London: Phaidon Press Ltd.
MFAH (2024) Mona Hatoum: Twelwe Windows. Available at: https://www.mfah.org/press/mona-hatoum-twelve-windows (Accessed: 29 October 2024).
Serpentine (2024) Yinka Shoniare CBE: Suspended States. Available at: https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/yinka-shonibare-cbe-suspended-states/
(Accessed: 19 October 2024).
Stevens, H.M. (1999) The myth and magic of embroidery. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 11-19.
Szalavary, A. (1980) Hungarian folk designs: for embroiderers and craftsmen. New York: Dover Publications Inc.
Yi, R. H. (2023) My Alleyway Memories (Once Upon A Longtang). Available at: https://www.redhongyi.com/blank-1 (Accessed: 19 October 2024).
Hofner, T. and Fel, E. (1979) ‘Distinctive Features of Hungarian Folk Art’ Hungarian Folk Art. Oxford University Press. pp. 55-61.
Kadyri, A. (2024) Don’t Miss The Cue. Available at: https://www.azizakadyri.com/dont-miss-the-cue-uzbekistan-pavillion-venice-biennale1 (Accessed: 19 October 2024).
Marill, R and Hunegs, S. (eds.) (2022) Prime: Art’s Next Generation: Igshaan Adams. London: Phaidon Press Ltd.
MFAH (2024) Mona Hatoum: Twelwe Windows. Available at: https://www.mfah.org/press/mona-hatoum-twelve-windows (Accessed: 29 October 2024).
Serpentine (2024) Yinka Shoniare CBE: Suspended States. Available at: https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/yinka-shonibare-cbe-suspended-states/
(Accessed: 19 October 2024).
Stevens, H.M. (1999) The myth and magic of embroidery. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 11-19.
Szalavary, A. (1980) Hungarian folk designs: for embroiderers and craftsmen. New York: Dover Publications Inc.
Yi, R. H. (2023) My Alleyway Memories (Once Upon A Longtang). Available at: https://www.redhongyi.com/blank-1 (Accessed: 19 October 2024).