Woman's tube skirt 1975

This tube skirt was created by an artist of the Khmu people using cotton. Isn't it interesting how an object like this can speak? I'm drawn to the way the bands of color interact with the solid black field above. This contrast sets up a kind of conversation between restraint and expression, structure and freedom. Look at the subtle variations within the stripes: the shifts in hue, the slight imperfections. There's a real sense of the hand at work, of a process unfolding organically. The texture is so tactile, you can almost feel the give of the threads as you imagine the weaver at the loom. The more you look the more the colors come to life, each one humming against the others. You know, this reminds me a little of the work of Anni Albers, who brought a similar painterly sensibility to her weavings. I think both artists show us how even the most functional of objects can be a site of deep aesthetic exploration.