Dependence

With the beginning of the pandemic, words such as “quarantine”, “social distancing”, and “health protocols” became part of daily language almost everywhere. The constant dying of young and old people has turned into statistical numbers in the news. These losses resemble the leaves of my favorite bonsai tree, which I want to pull back when I see them falling – but the circle of life continues, despite the rupture that the pandemic has caused.

A virus has traveled across the globe. It has drawn not only you and me, but all of us across the globe into this turmoil, like a pest that has befallen all surrounding plants. Everyone struggles to survive and live. Yet, the only way to stay alive is to stay away from others, which also keeps them alive. The decisions and moves that we are making in this mess affect the lives of others. We are tragically connected by staying apart. In this turbulence we see how our life is dependent on others even over thousands of kilometres. Here falls a leaf and there it sprouts.

This collection of artwork expresses my concerns about dependence, isolation, death and life, fear, frangibility, hope and survival. I have chosen the leaf because of its connectedness and resemblances with human life – diverse, sometimes fragile, and sometimes flexible. I have used the thread for connecting the elements, which is as delicate and complex as human relations.

For the first time, I used a combination of leaf and fiber in my works, and to emphasize the collection’s messages, I paid special attention to the minimum variety of stitching. In most works, the connection and weaving of the net is done with thread and needle while the sides are woven with hooks. The type of leaves was randomly chosen, selected based on their suitability for-working with yarn on them.