Rewoven Roots
Cracow, 21.09.2024 - 31.10. 2024
In her exhibition “Rewoven Roots” Anna Raczyńska
transforms and re-connects with her
roots on her own poetic terms. Born in Silesian Beskids, where folklore still
plays a big role in Polish society, the artist transforms traditional folk
scarves once worn by women.
The headscarf was of great importance, as it symbolized a woman's status. This element of a woman's closet also spoke of the social and material position of the person wearing it. Traditionally, the bride wore a garland on her head, usually made of flowers. It embodied the purity of the girl walking down the aisle. After the wedding, the woman had to cover her hair with a headscarf or cap. Colorful woolen headscarves printed in distinctive floral patterns and rose motifs, popularly known as “tybetki” became popular in the Kraków countryside as early as the late 19th century. Krakowian, Laszka, Podhalan and Highlander women from the Żywiec, Pieniny and Orava regions wore not only head scarves, but also skirts, stockings and shoulder scarves sewn from Tibet fabric as early as the end of the 19th century.
Today, contemporary floral-patterned headscarves, are an important part of folk fashion, reminding us of the links between tradition, femininity and social change.
Textile especially held great significance in the historical relationship between women and the domestic sphere, as it has long been used as a means of indoctrinating women and girls into the European feminine ideal, upholding the ideology of femininity and domesticity. The old relationship modeled in patriarchal society between a daughter and her father and future husband placed the young woman in the role of an exchangeable commodity and was based on obedience, gratitude and love. Although textiles can be a reminder of women's oppression under patriarchal systems, fiber art also carries its own rich culture, one specific to the artistic her-story of womanhood. In a poetic gesture, the artist (re)claims old patterns back to herself, metaphorically destroying them and letting them fall and, like a puzzle, form new narratives.
The choice of techniques and location of the exhibition also play a key role. The gallery, once a wedding dress salon, is a symbolic space, temple of femininity, where materials such as satin, often used in wedding dresses. The works are laser cut and motifs have been prepared digitally. Laser technology, often used in the cosmetic industry to resurface skin, remove hair or reduce scars. It provides a parallel to the transformation of fabric - both processes point to a desire for renewal and perfection, questioning the changing standards of beauty and identity in contemporary culture but also how technology significantly influences human behavior by reshaping social interactions, cognitive processes, and emotional responses.
As Donna Haraway famously stated: “We are all chimeras, theoretical and fabricated hybrids of machine and body - cyborgs for short.”
The project is supported by International Cooperation department of the City of Leipzig
The headscarf was of great importance, as it symbolized a woman's status. This element of a woman's closet also spoke of the social and material position of the person wearing it. Traditionally, the bride wore a garland on her head, usually made of flowers. It embodied the purity of the girl walking down the aisle. After the wedding, the woman had to cover her hair with a headscarf or cap. Colorful woolen headscarves printed in distinctive floral patterns and rose motifs, popularly known as “tybetki” became popular in the Kraków countryside as early as the late 19th century. Krakowian, Laszka, Podhalan and Highlander women from the Żywiec, Pieniny and Orava regions wore not only head scarves, but also skirts, stockings and shoulder scarves sewn from Tibet fabric as early as the end of the 19th century.
Today, contemporary floral-patterned headscarves, are an important part of folk fashion, reminding us of the links between tradition, femininity and social change.
Textile especially held great significance in the historical relationship between women and the domestic sphere, as it has long been used as a means of indoctrinating women and girls into the European feminine ideal, upholding the ideology of femininity and domesticity. The old relationship modeled in patriarchal society between a daughter and her father and future husband placed the young woman in the role of an exchangeable commodity and was based on obedience, gratitude and love. Although textiles can be a reminder of women's oppression under patriarchal systems, fiber art also carries its own rich culture, one specific to the artistic her-story of womanhood. In a poetic gesture, the artist (re)claims old patterns back to herself, metaphorically destroying them and letting them fall and, like a puzzle, form new narratives.
The choice of techniques and location of the exhibition also play a key role. The gallery, once a wedding dress salon, is a symbolic space, temple of femininity, where materials such as satin, often used in wedding dresses. The works are laser cut and motifs have been prepared digitally. Laser technology, often used in the cosmetic industry to resurface skin, remove hair or reduce scars. It provides a parallel to the transformation of fabric - both processes point to a desire for renewal and perfection, questioning the changing standards of beauty and identity in contemporary culture but also how technology significantly influences human behavior by reshaping social interactions, cognitive processes, and emotional responses.
As Donna Haraway famously stated: “We are all chimeras, theoretical and fabricated hybrids of machine and body - cyborgs for short.”
The project is supported by International Cooperation department of the City of Leipzig