Remnants #11 1978

Curator: Geta Bratescu's "Remnants #11" from 1978. A mixed-media assemblage incorporating textile and fibre art. Editor: It gives me a feeling of fragmented memories. Each patch is like a piece of something forgotten, sewn together into a quiet story. Curator: Bratescu worked a lot with materials immediately around her. It seems the scraps of discarded fabrics became, in her hands, vehicles to challenge definitions of art-making. This challenges us to consider the social and economic implications embedded in everyday textiles. How are these "low" materials elevated here? Editor: Absolutely, and what about the institutional context? The display of something like this in a museum reframes it entirely. An object, that was potentially on the verge of ending its life as garbage is given this renewed, public life. Bratescu is working in dialogue with this system by utilizing what other art institutions neglect, such as found or re-used materials. Curator: True, there's a conscious defiance against art’s perceived hierarchies, disrupting notions of preciousness through material exploration. In Bratescu’s artistic world, the emphasis moves from commodity fetish to process. The stitches, the weaving, the selection of these remnants speaks to the artist's intimate involvement in transforming modest fabrics. Editor: We could almost call it art about art, no? Referencing the socio-economic systems that commodify creative processes in order to turn out marketable pieces. Bratescu also is actively engaging in that commodification by exhibiting and creating artwork that directly comments on her and the object's complicated relation with those systems. The imagery isn't simply about its formal qualities, but instead becomes a platform for societal critique. Curator: Right. I also believe it embodies the democratization of the creative act; it doesn’t require fancy resources. Its artistic essence lies in the repurposing and reimagining. The artwork whispers volumes about the beauty of transformation and giving a second chance to things that others overlook. Editor: And a visual testament, in my eyes, to the ongoing conversation surrounding art’s role, place, and influence within society. It leaves you wondering, what role did this once play? Whose hands were these clothes on, before Bratescu repurposed it? Curator: An important aspect for us to meditate on together, precisely. Editor: A wonderful example of art in dialogue with labor, both inside and outside the studio!