Femke van Gemert

– Casa Wabi 2019

Community Project

Talismán – Mujeres bailadoras de folcklor de Río Grande
In this workshop, we seek to use creative processes to foster the bond between women. The objective was to exceed the limits and generate self-reflection and self-expression. We work with cheap and ubiquitous materials to make the exercise accessible and replicable.
The theme of the workshop was: Who are you?Outside and inside We work with clothes and personal items to bring the inner being to the surface.
We work with a group of dancers composed of young women between 14 and 16 years old. The workshop sessions varied: we worked with worn clothes, cloth pieces, and local clay creatively and abstractly. We found a cheerful appreciation through activities that revealed our thoughts and feelings. From the activities emerged conversations and emotional intelligence.
The sessions were dynamic, human, and unorthodox. We laugh and play; We share and recognize our classmates. Through the absurd and wild action, we find creative answers. We hit clay on the ground. We wear shirts on our heads. We made ropes with our old clothes. We think of colors and shapes to express our feelings and opinions.
The question arose: “What makes you unique?
/ What makes you unique? We made talismans decorating clay objects using colors and fabrics with personal significance. The workshop ended with a critique of how each item reflected its uniqueness.
We witnessed shyness evolve towards openness. The things they said and did surprise us. We saw an immediate impact: each participant took a trip, either articulating a feeling or developing a project to share. These are tools that we hope they carry with them throughout their lives.

Log-Piece

  • Antroponopal 2 (2019) Escultura creada con nopal, fibra sintética, fibras naturales y marco de varilla

Antroponopal 2 (2019)
Escultura creada con nopal, fibra sintética, fibras naturales y marco de varilla

Netherlands

Lives and works in Netherlands

After a long career in fashion as a designer and trend forecaster Femke van Gemert felt a growing awareness about the enormous amounts of textiles produced and discarded around the world. It made her change her approach to textiles, and completely changed her creative process. That marked the beginning of her career as an artist.
Now Femke creates hangings, tapestries, installations and objects made out of upcycled textiles and other waste materials.
The beauty and imperfection and deterioration over time are always visible in her creations. The Wabi sabi philosophy and nature itself form lifelong sources of inspiration for Femke. The compositions she creates radiate a certain mood or longing laden with fragments of the former characteristics of the reused materials. Scraps of sentimental encounters and intimate connections with other people’s lives and wardrobes put the discovery of other cultures at the core of the anthropological textile art of Femke van Gemert. Her critique on waste is akin to the beauty born from leftovers, in a melancholic mood.
She creates autonomous works and site specific designs on commission, and initiates projects with local (textile) waste and communities. With these projects she raises awareness about waste and engages people to upcycle their waste in craft workshops. Besides her work as an artist Femke teaches at art and design schools.
Femke’s work has been shown on several inter (national) exhibitions.
This site is registered on wpml.org as a development site.