Reclaiming matrilineal knowledge, my hybrid works demonstrate how traditional textile practices can be integrated into a painting practice as a bodily form of memory, reaffirming matrilineal connections through making.
Many traditional craft processes are built by accumulation: by applying layer after layer, always adding. The story resides in these many layers of aggregation. My art practice is informed by these domestic ways of making that utilize knowledge passed down through generations of family. I participate in this creative lineage, integrating these many layers of personal and material relationships.
My sculptural paintings are built through labour intensive processes, layering, and repetitive motions. Stitching adds a layer of feminist theory to soft bulging tactile forms that embody rich histories of femininity, sentimentality, motherhood, and care. My work involves multiple techniques- stitching, gathering, cutting, weaving- and requires disassembling and reassembling to create three dimensional soft sculptural forms.
Textiles are embodied forms of knowledge that articulate powerful relationships between materiality, nostalgia, and memory. I strive for abstract representations of soft bodies in transitory space that act as vessels for thoughts and emotions, addressing topics such as parenting, sentimentality, love, grief, and aging physical bodies.
~Alexandrya Eaton, 2023
