We are pleased to introduce UNTITLED, a show of handmade works on linen by Cas Friese The collection of work is infused with distinct organic character and metaphorical meaning, portraying images of fields and flora, a subject the artist studies outside of its most prolific moment, emphasizing the beauty in the waning part of its lifecycle. From grasses and dried shrubs, wilting flora and thistles, to ground views of the most common flower, Cas calls attention to delicacy and magnificence in each perspective of its essence.
Cas approaches the work in the opposite way of a traditional tapestry, printing her photographs on archival linen and unraveling the edges fiber by fiber, emphasizing the tedious composition of the weave with the image running through its untwined edges. She then cleans the edges, trimming the excess threads and tucking them back into the body of the work, giving order and form to the fringed perimeter. Once complete, she suspends the undone work inside a frame by hand stitching the top of the piece onto museum board, leaving the sides and bottom open to hang naturally within its containment, and room for the work to show slight aging in the suspension points over time.
As the world changes and seasons continually merge and shift Cas finds a connection between the unwinding of the fabric, the image, and its meaning.
