I always appreciate the combination of different elements to
create original fiber art. Elana Herzog, a truly admirable fiber artist,
has an incredible talent for combining soft and hard materials to
create something that barely seems to be there at all.
Herzog graduated with a BA from Bennington College in 1976 and an MFA from Alfred University in 1979. She has had solo exhibitions in numerous museums and has been featured internationally in venues such as the Reykjavik Art Museum in Iceland. Since 1999, she has received multiple awards and grants for her work.
The unique process she uses to transform old fibers involves everything from sheet-rock building and pneumatic stapling to ripping, shredding and un-weaving fabrics. Her process takes hundreds of hours and usually begins with stapling an old piece of fabric to the wall. She then selectively pulls away strips until the remaining piece resembles the essence of the original fabric, but is an entirely new form. According to Herzog, "Distinctions between... gesture become unnecessary in these immersive environments in which nothing is what it once was, and yet everything is in full view."
One of the artist's most popular installations, "The Return of the Repressed," is a response to the numerous Persian rugs found in Sigmund Freud's Vienna office. Her exhibit features a floor layered in lush, cut out and reassembled Persian carpets. She describes her work as "intuitive" and "often prefers to let what is Not there to speak for itself."
Many of Herzog's exhibits speak for themselves. At the Herbert F. Johnson Museum in Ithaca, New York, Herzog essentially destabilized the permanent collection present at the museum. The exhibition she presented, "Civilization and its DisContents," filled the corners of the museum in an effort to question society's relationship with museums. She showed her deconstructed rugs next to the museum's fine art and textiles. Throughout history, rugs have been used for comfort, religious practices, and to show wealth. By placing her textiles in forgotten museum spaces and next to traditional rugs, Herzog hoped to direct the viewer's attention to the way in which they interact with the museum. She also mimicked the tradition of displaying rugs from a church balcony by suspending multiple carpets over the museum lobby. The display was meant to compare the church's role and the role of museums in today's society.
I admire Herzog's dedicated and inspired design ascetic and I'm impressed by her ability to combine different mediums.
Herzog graduated with a BA from Bennington College in 1976 and an MFA from Alfred University in 1979. She has had solo exhibitions in numerous museums and has been featured internationally in venues such as the Reykjavik Art Museum in Iceland. Since 1999, she has received multiple awards and grants for her work.
The unique process she uses to transform old fibers involves everything from sheet-rock building and pneumatic stapling to ripping, shredding and un-weaving fabrics. Her process takes hundreds of hours and usually begins with stapling an old piece of fabric to the wall. She then selectively pulls away strips until the remaining piece resembles the essence of the original fabric, but is an entirely new form. According to Herzog, "Distinctions between... gesture become unnecessary in these immersive environments in which nothing is what it once was, and yet everything is in full view."
One of the artist's most popular installations, "The Return of the Repressed," is a response to the numerous Persian rugs found in Sigmund Freud's Vienna office. Her exhibit features a floor layered in lush, cut out and reassembled Persian carpets. She describes her work as "intuitive" and "often prefers to let what is Not there to speak for itself."
Many of Herzog's exhibits speak for themselves. At the Herbert F. Johnson Museum in Ithaca, New York, Herzog essentially destabilized the permanent collection present at the museum. The exhibition she presented, "Civilization and its DisContents," filled the corners of the museum in an effort to question society's relationship with museums. She showed her deconstructed rugs next to the museum's fine art and textiles. Throughout history, rugs have been used for comfort, religious practices, and to show wealth. By placing her textiles in forgotten museum spaces and next to traditional rugs, Herzog hoped to direct the viewer's attention to the way in which they interact with the museum. She also mimicked the tradition of displaying rugs from a church balcony by suspending multiple carpets over the museum lobby. The display was meant to compare the church's role and the role of museums in today's society.
I admire Herzog's dedicated and inspired design ascetic and I'm impressed by her ability to combine different mediums.
