Tuesday 7 May 2013

Fiber Art International 2013 - the discovery of the discovery


Today I visited, for the first time and without really planning it, the Society for Contemporary Crafts. I knew there was an exhibition, but what I saw left me totally amazed. From the official website: http://fiberartspgh.org/guild/node/10:

"Fiberart International 2013 is the 21st in a series of triennial juried exhibitions sponsored by the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, Inc. Chosen by a distinguished panel of artists and curators, Fiberart International 2013 will feature works by established and emerging artists and will provide a unique opportunity to see current trends and innovations in this constantly evolving medium."

I almost felt honored to be able to see that. The pieces are incredibly well done and appealing, in their composition, technique and final result. Each piece, wisely selected by the jury, was the proof of very creative brains linked to astonishingly expert hands.


While visiting the space, I was really considering that the most pleasant part of the visit was the discovery of the detail. From far, the compositions were fine, but then, once got closer, the artesanal skills were emerging very clearly.

I usually say that the biggest difference I see between Italy and the US is the density. In Italy, while walking in any city, you can really see the stratification of time everywhere. Houses, streets, gardens: everything is the result of compromises between little available space and strong needs. History shows you overlaid solutions, often resulted from changes of mind. The result, to me, is a kind of magic "fabric", zooming in which you can read another "fabric in the fabric". It's like a big loop of fibers, a never-ending discovery of new details and compositions.

On the contrary, in the US I can see everything clearly, let's say. Everything is displayed in a very impactive way: big, wide, tall, strong. I am still thinking of the cities, for example. What I see, with Italian eyes, seems pretty diluted, in the vastness of the American space.
Pittsburgh still keeps some interesting stratifications, in some parts. I think it depends on the fact that for many years it was almost frosted in the economical crisis. Once people came back, they found big pieces of the past, and started dealing with those, managing to integrate old and new according to their needs.

The complexity of the US in evident when you zoom out. The complexity of Europe and Italy is when you zoom in.

The point here is: contemporary art or the contemporary design is pretty much clean and simplified. Let's just think of the most common objects: I-Phones, I-Pads, trendy ads and websites: there is a tendency in cleaning, whitening, removing, simplifying and smoothing. (Tendency that, I must admit, is not applied to the American food, but this is not a blog about food).

eg. "clean" design

eg. over-enriched food: even the Sushi, in the US, is overloaded with tastes.

This popular inclination to simplify is making everything accessible and easy to use, global and international. Despite the clear perks of such strategies, the danger is to loose our sensitivity and our ability to discern the shades of the world surrounding us. This is a big danger, in my opinion, with the risk of killing creativity.

The satisfaction of seeing an exhibition such the Fiberart International comes from the discovery. I would say: the discovery of the discovery. The aesthetics are pretty modern and contemporary. Bright colors that could come from the latest printers, or designed with the most popular graphic softwares.
The reality is that, once to look closer, you suddenly step back centuries and you can see the human gesture. It is the discovery of the fiber, indeed, and of the artesanal quality of each stitch - in the greatest part of the pieces.

I now let you evaluate by yourself from the photos I took.
But remember that a photo can never substitute a visit in person. If you have the chance, go and (don't) touch with your hand the pleasure of the discovery.


the work of an Argentine artist


rolled papers, patiently clipped together and finely composed.

Hairy rug or undersea world. You choose. 

Tiny embroidery that creates flowers over flowers over flowers...

a curtain that mixes plastics and threads. And colors

like a Mirò, but it is all sewed

A groundhog by an Italian Artist

This last piece is one of my favorite, by a Japanese artist. I was absolutely convinced it was a precious wood. It is wool and silk and other fabrics mixed together.



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