Maria Nepomuceno (b. 1976, Brasil)
Untitled, 2016

I have a soft spot for textile works. Those of psychoanalytical and/or genealogical inclination could certainly trace it to my grandparents who have introduced me to textile techniques in my childhood. I do not think much in terms of lineage myself, but I do find textiles interesting for sculptural work as they can be both solid and malleable. It is also very accessible technique compared to many others. I cannot weld or cast stuff in isolation of my tiny student room – but I can crochet. And I can do it both in focused manner as well as while watching TV, it can be a repetitive meditative exercise but also a spatial problem solving. Inclusion of other materials and objects can also render interesting contrasts, illusions, behaviours and shapes.

So yeah, I had to include some people doing textile sculptural work. Nepomuceno is a nice example and some of her smaller pieces have some affinity to my aesthetics as well (or is it more dictated by material and method…? I mean, generally speaking, things tend to get more round in knitting than in welding… but it remains to be explored further)…