My exposure to textiles began in 1992, when I took a course in the ancient art of batik. I immediately fell in love with the technique, especially because of the dynamic effect of the flow of hot wax, the concept of layering and the surprises that the process offers. The quick empathy I found with batik allowed me to focus almost exclusively on wax resist on fabric and paper for many years, until I started to expand my work towards other printing and traditional resist dyeing methods which I have continued exploring until today.
My practice has always been accompanied by the research into the history of manually produced textiles, as well as field trips to textile communities in different areas. I am interested in seeing how these artistic manifestations are so strongly related to the cultural aspects of their original places. Only then I feel I am able to insert them into a contemporary context and to apply personal attributes.
I am particularly captivated by different kinds of resist dyeing methods on fabric and the way that patterns can be constructed through preventing dyes or discharge agents from reaching certain areas of the cloth. I am interested in generating a sensation of depth on two-dimensional surfaces through the use of layers of rich colours, resisted areas, and the combination of geometrical forms. I work in partnership with the materials, allowing fiber and liquid media to respond to my acts according to their own qualities. Therefore I combine my initial plans with elements of chance and the unpredictable responses.
Since I became a textile artist, I have been producing mainly objects for the body and for the home. I am attracted by the tactile properties of fibers as well as the idea of imbuing with beauty our daily life. In my most recent work I have been exploring elements of the traditional Japanese shibori. Different ways of binding, stitching, folding, twisting and compressing the fabric have guided my latest creations, revealing continuous ways for constructing sensual surfaces.
