In conversation – hannalie taute

I am happy to announce that my work “Change of plans” have been selected to be part of this exciting group exhibition at the Jan Rupert Art Centre in Graaff-Reinet!

CHANGE OF PLANS

In response to the work by Michele Nigrini, I present to you a floral bouquet which consists out of individual flowers and objects (raging from a self-portrait as baby, to a portrait of my mother on her wedding day as well as a skull and the cosmos in the bust of a pregnant figure) embroidered in cotton and acrylic thread onto discarded inner tubes (rubber). These embroideries are then arranged and assembled into a bouquet.

Like Nigrini I was first and foremost inspired by toys and incorporated that for a long time in my art making, it is only much later that I turned my focus to botanicals. That is why I really responded to this quote found on your website:

Remember that a picture – before being a warhorse, a nude woman, or some anecdote – is essentially a plane surface covered with colours assembled in a certain order – Maurice Denis

And that is exactly what happened, the re-arrangement of embroidered to resemble order.

You will also notice that I often incorporate skulls or bones in my work, since they often have a moral purpose, and symbolize mortality and ephemerality and reminds us of the fleeting pleasures of life. Skulls also represent inner contemplation, eternity and life.

Flowers have not been a favourite subject matter for me until I realized the possibility of their meaning and because they reflect my interest in science and the natural world especially during this time of the pandemic. The title of the work refers to us being able to adapt to sudden changes and that it is okay to have a ‘Change of plan(s)”

The work depicts moments in time – capturing instances in which a non-traditional medium (in this case rubber) undergo a violent process of change. The juxtaposition of delicate cotton thread with industrial discarded inner tubes are highlighted by embroidering items that can decay, such as flowers and flesh, with moments of violent disruption. The resulting organized chaos resembles our daily lives and external influences.