How do we choose our specific material, our means of communication? Accidentally? Or maybe they choose us? Something provokes us over time, addresses us in a specific way, whether it is sound, touch, smell, hardness or softness, fascinates us and requires us to shape ourselves and shape it. In the process, we slowly find our language and as creators we are constantly involved in a dialogue with our medium. In my case, I was caught by the threads, really against my will. Working with threads seemed too soft, too sensitive. I wanted to create something strong! But circumstances trapped me in a threads, completely entangled me, and eventually completely won me over. I learned to listen to them and speak their language. The encounter with one's own part took place in an integral way, where creation was understood as a form of thinking, material became a substitute for emotion and idea, and tactility became my medium of communication. In the context of feminism on the art scene of the second half of the 20th century, many artists worked with textiles, with soft forms and materials. It was their way to stand out from the steel constructions of the male artists represented at that time. Precisely because of the sexist connection of textiles with "women's work" or "decoration", feminist artists used it to condemn the balance of power in the art world. The sensibility and intimacy of the soft materials thus revealed themselves to me as a strength, not a weakness. Richly textured surfaces, with reminiscence of organic forms, are created by a difficult and long-lasting energetic process of rubbing and kneading woolen fibers until they merge into one whole. Each work is eventually transformed into a unique piece of art, a hybrid of painting and sculpture. "Tactile dialogues" thus speak of the newly discovered freedom with which I moved between different media, of unexpected and symbolic textile applications, of tactility, attractiveness and aversion, but also of creating art that provokes with its softness and vitality.

Add

Ana Vrtačnik

Opportunities

For Artists

ArtConnect

Support