Mine and of Me is to Create

Mine and of Me is to Create, 2022
embroidery on paper felt using plastic beads and a meditation mantra
21 x 29,7 cm

(Cat for attention)

As you may know, I failed to at 27 and the 28th year of my life is about connecting with what I would grow up as if I didn't fall in love with the idea of joining the club.

The base is a sheet of paper felt that I brought with me the last 3 times I moved. The first batch of beads was a Christmas gift from my primary school era. There weren't enough of them and I had to put the project on ice for a while. | I needed to figure out how to proceed. Buying new beads would defeat the purpose of combining of reaching back to my past in this artwork. It wasn't about the cost, but rather about buying new plastic non-essentials. It goes against my values especially if it was to be shipped to me from far away.

I was browsing second-hand plates and unopened bed linens as an alternative to shopping in IKEA. The inspiration struck me and I found a bunch of beads. They seemed like remnants of someone's abandoned hobby, eager to be turned into something more.
At that point, the whole artwork became about combining the past and the person I am today.

Embroidery was something I learned from my grandma. Historically, however, it was used as a tool of oppression. The quiet and meticulous activity to keep women on the sidelines of history. Now, having so much spare time to carefully attach beads to a sheet of felt feels like a luxury.

Especially if those beads spell out a mighty powerful phrase. The tone is inspired by those Bible quotes people cross-stitch. But those are my words. Words describing me.