day of the dead

I am excited to announce my 3^rd online studio exhibition.

3rd time lucky 77 x 22 x 8 cm Cotton thread, batting and rubber 2020

With arms wide open 38 x 24 x 9 cm Cotton thread, batting and rubber 2020

Something old, something new. Yes, some of the works you might recognize form previous exhibitions, and some works were destined for Australia, but alas, shipment was an issue…. but they still wanted to be shown. So I am happy to present these 13 (yes, it’s my lucky nr) works as part of

The Haunted Stitch

A dangerous bunch 74 x 74 cm Cotton thread and rubber 2019/2020

I actually wanted to launch this online exhibition yesterday, – between All Hallows eve and today : Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) which is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, and while I’m not of Mexican decent, I do love how Mexicans view it not as a day of sadness but as a day of celebration.

I was not able to launch it yesterday since I was not close to my desktop. Grandma is currently visiting so we took her for a day out. Today we will celebrate the life of our dear Grandfather (her late husband) who passed away earlier this year.

But without further adieu:

Blah blah blah 67 x 55 cm Cotton thread and rubber 2020

Dear fellow bloggers, art patrons and friends, here is the link containing the full list with images and details of the 13 pieces which forms part of ‘The Haunted stitch”. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1e6dYIFMTj3zihZTOftnsW2NTdA4e0Fj6

Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Childhood ghosts 68 x 19 x 8 cm Cotton thread, batting and rubber, 2020

I wish you a lovely Día de Muertos.

“Funeral” embroidery on rubber, altered photograph. 2014 (private collection)

“How many women would laugh at funerals of their husbands if it were not the custom to cry!” (quote from the book: Women, Wedlock and the world)

with frame

It’s almost time for Halloween. Unfortunately it is not a huge celebration in South Africa- as far as I know, not like others celebrate it in other countries, and especially not in small little towns like ours, but it’s okay. I do wish we celebrated the “Day of the Dead”.

Frances Ann Day summarizes the three-day celebration, the Day of the Dead—

“	On October 31, All Hallows Eve, the children make a children’s altar to invite the angelitos (spirits of dead children) to come back for a visit. November 1 is All Saints Day, and the adult spirits will come to visit. November 2 is All Souls Day, when families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives. The three-day fiesta filled with marigolds, the flowers of the dead; muertos (the bread of the dead); sugar skulls; cardboard skeletons; tissue paper decorations; fruit and nuts; incense, and other traditional foods and decorations.	”
—Frances Ann Day, Latina and Latino Voices in Literature^[6]