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The history of textiles is inextricable from the story of humanity, a storied and ultimately functional craft that, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and feminist fiber art movements of the mid-20th century, has become emblematic of not just the innovative qualities of the human animal, but of textile’s innate communicative quality.
That is to say, the fabric of each individual’s life is woven, sewn, embroidered, with cultural markers, ideas, and stories, bleeding into the realms of art, national identity, and clothing. Textile work encompasses multitudes of patterns, colors, techniques, and identities across the globe, a living, breathing record of centuries of change. The history of textiles, to a large degree, is also inextricable from the feminine realm, transforming over the years into a “domestic” craft through which women could find their place in whichever society they found themselves in.
Enter Cuban, Miami-based fiber artist Aurora Molina.
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Isolation vs Peak 2021. Wood and recycled t-shirt yarn. 49 x 24 x 2 in.
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Self-isolation, 2021. Wood and recycled t-shirt yarn. 46 x 37 x 2 in.
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“I think it is extremely important that artists become the commentators of our time… I make political satire with the help of thread. I think it is crucial today when fiber art is playing a new role in art history. Thread is not only being used as embellishment but as a statement; a political consequence of women not longer sitting in circles, embroidering flowers.” — aurora molina
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Super Spreader, 2021. Wood and recycled t-shirt yarn. 35 x 35 x 2 in.
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Exposure Outbreak, 2021. Wood and recycled t-shirt yarn. 33 x 33 x 2 in.
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With each movement, these pieces become sites for transformation. Each fibre moves in tandem with Molina’s essence, sprouting from inborn tension and anxiety about the past, memory, and isolation, evolving from negativity to a place of resolve; the yarn acts as a stand-in for time, the act of weaving as a confronting of it. The result is a series that bares witness to an artist’s fears, intrusive thoughts, and vulnerabilities, and sees her triumph.
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Curated by Maria Gabriela Di Giammarco, creative and editor for The Contemporary Art Modern Project.
