Seams Like Yesterday

Roman artist Isabella Ducrot’s textiles are both symbols of politics and society.

When Roman artist Isabella Ducrot visited Iran a few years ago, she knew she had to meet the tailor who made the Ayatollah’s robes. She finally met the man, who used yards of a dark brown wool, almost resembling goat’s hair, to make his cloak. Placing narrow cut-out pieces of this wool, pasted against the backdrop of white paper, that has a black and white border, almost indicative of a railroad track, she created her work Text, currently on display as part of her untitled exhibition, at Galleryske, in the Capital.

Based in Naples, 84-year-old Ducrot swiftly moved across the gallery, pinning her nine fabric works and drawings on its walls, before the opening last month. It is themed on the medium of textile in its plain form without embroidery, brocade or elaborate weaving. “It is everyday cloth, whose plain structure shows the miracle of the oldest and most sophisticated handwork of mankind,” says Ducrot.

Ducrot brings in a flavour of Lahsa in Bende Sacre 3, by using silk scarves she bought from Tibet, offered by pilgrims to decorate the shoulders of sacred Buddha statues. As she made large round vermillion coloured holes, she attempted “to violate the angular structure of the scarves, risking to destroy them but at the same time the repetition of the circles resembled a form of prayer”.

Story continues below this ad

Similarly, she used deep blue textiles she found in North Africa, standing starkly across a light blue coloured sea in the background, in another untitled work. “This was produced by the Blue People of Algeria, who are called so for the indigo pigment of their clothes. Their deep blue colour was nearest to black. This extreme example of blue fascinates me,” she says.

Using fabrics she acquired on her travels across Asia, long before she even knew what she would do with them, she reveals her understanding, structure, and its symbolic significance in defining society and history. “My inspiration lies in the pleasure and the fright to explore the relation between different materials. Textile structures fascinate me. It seems to me the best human artefact to represent symbolically political, social, and linguistic relations,” says Ducrot, who continues to collect items during her travels to India — from the silver foil used for decorating Indian sweets to the handwoven kitchen rags — without knowing how and when they may re-appear in her artwork.

The exhibition is on display at Galleryske, 1st Floor, Shivam House, F14 Middle Circle, Connaught Place, till January 18. Contact: 65652725

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Loading Taboola...

‘Why weren’t TVK leaders told it wasn’t right day for a big event’: Cong MP Jothimani

Political Pulse4 hr ago

A stampede at TVK founder Vijay's rally in Karur led to the death of 40 people and injuries to many. Congress's Karur MP Jothimani identifies overcrowding, poor planning, and the timing of the event as possible causes. She recommends setting clear guidelines for political gatherings and consulting all parties to prevent similar tragedies.

View all shorts

Live Blog