Netting of Isis
[dyptych]
Death. “35” x 28” Handwoven on Cotton using Mixed Mediums, with Mexican Cotton Yarn, Mexican Roving Wool, Jute, Burmese Textiles, Silk Sari Textiles, Polyester Fishnetting, Cotton Rope, Cotton Yarn Hand-dyed in Menstruation Blood. Contact for Pricing
Rebirth. 30”x 25” Handwoven on Cotton, using Mixed Mediums, with Natural Hand-Dyed Mexican Wool, Australian Wool, Jute, Silk Sari Textiles, Cotton Chord, Mexican Roving Wool. Contact for Pricing
Exhibited in Group Show: Tamale
CasaLu Gallery and Artist Residency, Mexico City, Mexico. 2021.
In ancient folklore, Egyptian Goddess Isis is the ruler of birth and death, weaving and the cycle of creation and destruction. This theme has been replicated throughout mythology such as with Ix Chel in Mayan traditions, as the Goddess of healing, weaving, birth and death, as well as with Kali in Hindu traditions, as the Goddess of compassion, destruction, transformation and time. The artist has used her own “peak spiritual experiences” with Isis as well as other visions to exemplify our own ability to weave our fates and tell our stories through the process of the creation of identity and destruction of ego. The theme of death and rebirth is revisited throughout the Artist’s work both psychologically as well as in the physical plane of fully accepting the inevitable process of life and death.
The process of transformation is historically seen as a feminine process, as symbolized by Goddesses throughout culture and time who have used the medium of weaving to decide the fates and transform the lives of mere humans. The artist examines this process throughout the theme as well as through the use of materials, using natural materials that have seen a new use through natural dyes, the (ethical and sustainable)shedding of sheep’s wool for creation of art, and through the re-use of silk saris and other textiles in her pieces. By dying wool in menstruation blood the power of the female “shakti”, or transformative energy force, is utilized and examined in its own life cycle through the body, into art, and eventually through decay.
Furthermore, the artist plays with gender roles and the rise of feminism throughout history as weaving was historically used to value a woman’s worth. Since the use of mechanic weaving looms, women were given the space and time to re-evaluate their worth which led to early feminist movements. Today in 2021, we are seeing a fourth wave of feminism both in gender equality across all gender roles, and a return to nature both in global production and through remote work, allowing communities to spend more time in nature, with loved ones, and listening deeply to intuition as the force of all transformation.