Half asku (skirt) 1965 - 1975

This half asku skirt, or what remains of it, is an anonymous work featuring cotton and dyes. I like how the deep blue grounds the riotous pattern below, a grounding that focuses the eye on the handmade intricacies of each stitched rhombus and triangle. I can imagine the artist working slowly, adding color by color, and allowing the design to grow organically from the basic elements in front of them. The weave is tight and dense, but look closer, and you will find irregularities, like slight variations in color or size, a little bit of yellow encroaching on the red. These little accidents remind you of the hand that crafted the piece. To me, these irregularities are the whole point. It reminds me a little of Anni Albers’ weaving experiments at the Bauhaus, though I imagine this piece comes from a very different place and context. It’s exciting to imagine a wider conversation between textile artists that spreads across time and space.