Belt c. 20th century

This incredible belt, made with fiber by an anonymous artist, uses this grid like structure, which brings me back to the way Agnes Martin would construct her paintings; by repeating similar forms with small, deliberate variations. What gets me about this belt is the way these precise geometric forms and figures are built up through a slow, repetitive process. Imagine the time it took to weave each thread into place, the artist's hand moving back and forth, building up the image line by line. I love the earthy reds and greens and the way the figures of animals and shapes become embedded in the overall pattern. There is a wonderful tension between the individual elements and the whole. It feels like a metaphor for how we construct our own identities: bit by bit, weaving together different experiences and influences into a coherent whole. The beauty of art lies in its ability to hold these contradictions, to embrace ambiguity, and to allow for multiple interpretations.