Blood, Felt, Passion: Works and Teachings of Agostina Zwilling

 

Agostina is a very fascinating felt artist that I came across through the feltmakers list.  I believe she lives in Venice and teaches a great number of felt workshops.  She goes to great lengths to document the work of her students and showcases them on her website.  You can really feel their excitement and energy in these photographs!  They are a testament to Agostina’s passion for teaching.  She is also an artist in her own right and you can see examples of them online HERE. 

«main liée, pied lié»

2004 
mixed media; african and asian fabrics, personal techniques 
cm 84 x 108 

(Translation: Tied Hands, Tied Feet)

From her Saatchi Online Biography:

b.1954 (Venice, Italy)
Female contemporary artist.
Visual arts, mixed media, installations.
Predominatly applies female material such as fibers, threads, fabrics and gauze. Integrates female techniques like felting, sewing and weaving in her creative processus. 
Considered by Augusto Orestini: “for her strong engagement in going beyond the limits of object and material”.
Socially engaged artist known for her commitment to defend human rights and especially women rights in her recent works. Thus the expression of pain, hurt, blood and wounds.

An excerpt from her WEBSITE (translation below):

Chi sono?

Sono quello che faccio.

Faccio quello che sono.

Mi ha scritto una cara amica…

Alla domanda “chi sono?” tu, Agostina, puoi ben rispondere:

“sono quello che faccio e … faccio quello che sono”, e allora dà

forma, porta alla luce, concretizza quella forza che tra lacrime

e dolore è così forte dentro di te!

Da te ho imparato che solo quello che esprimiamo, ciò a cui

diamo un corpo prende vita.

Così è il pensiero che crea la realtà e non l’inverso: dà corpo alla tua fede perche diventi guarigione.

Translation:

Who Am I?

I am that which I make. 

I make that which I am.

A dear friend wrote to me:

To the question “who am I,” you, Agostina can well respond: “I am that which I make, I make that which I am,” and so you give form, a door to the light, solidity to that force between the tears and pain that is so strong inside of you!

From you I have leanred that only that which we hope for, that to which we give form takes on life.

It is in this way that the thought creates reality and not the reverse: you give form to your faith because it heals you.