Ilgich c. early 20th century

This textile, called Ilgich, was made by Kungrat with thread, somewhere, sometime. Imagine the maker, needle in hand, threading her way through the fabric. It’s kind of like drawing, but with a soft, thick line. The dominant colors are reds and yellows, set against a dark background. The shapes are floral but also geometric and abstract. You can see this surface shifting, emerging through each stitch. It feels intuitive, like something grown, rather than something planned. I love the little white stitches along the inside border – they are like a drawing. I think about Agnes Martin and her tiny repetitive marks. I like the freedom of it, and the way it embraces error and asymmetry. There’s a conversation happening here, across time, a playful exchange between artists. Each stitch holds a feeling, a decision, a tiny piece of the maker’s intention.