Eszter Bornemisza
“With the multi-layered surfaces of real and imaginary maps I’m striving to grasp moments of finding our place both physically and mentally”
- Images clockwise from top left
- City Skins, 2015, 250 x 110 x 30cm, newsprint and organza
- Urban Links, 2016, 300 x 100, cotton and IC films
- City and Moon, 2015, 1161 x 50 cm, cotton and newsprint
- Next Page, 2014, 200 x 90 cm, Xrayfilm
- You are Here, 2012, 180 x 320 x 30 cm, Newsprint
- Wounded Gown, 2016, 250 x 148, newsprint
Hungarian artist Eszter Bornemisza, works from her home studio and her art combines paper and fabric and focuses around ideas that reflect relations to urban life. “With the multi-layered surfaces of real and imaginary maps I’m striving to grasp moments of finding our place both physically and mentally”
You’ve had an interesting journey to become a textile artist.
I was born in Debrecen, and now I live in Budapest, Hungary. I studied mathematics and became a researcher on the field of sociology and later I achieved a PhD in mathematical statistics. But all the time sewing had been one of my favourite free time activities. I used a sewing machine in my early teen ages in a self taught way through altering my grandmother’s old clothes to fit me. Later I sewed almost everything from leather shoes to overcoats and even suits for my family and wove jackets. As I had many small over left fabrics, I stitched them together and someone said they looked like quilts.
I read when you worked as a researcher for almost 20 years you turned to textiles. What prompted this change?
In 1996 I had the chance to visit a Quilt Expo in Lyon, France. I saw art quilts for the first time and thought they were like modern paintings made in the medium of textiles. I had always been keen on contemporary art, but never thought of trying to paint myself. Here my two independent interests suddenly joined up together: textiles and modern art. It became clear to me in a flash, that this is what I have to do! I was bold enough to decide that in the next Expo a piece of mine would hang on the wall. And so I did it. But before that in 1997 I entered a piece for the First European Quilt Championships in the Netherlands, and won best of show award. That gave me a real kick off. I also had very strong support from my family, especially my husband so after a few years of hesitation I dropped maths and became to a full time studio maker.
What is it about textiles that appeals to you?
The softness, pliancy and the different textures they have.
How do you describe your work?
Fiber art, or mixed media fiber art – as I use paper and textiles together.
How do you work?
I just make small sketches to feel proportions of the composition. Also when I experiment with new materials and techniques I make lot of samples. As an urban citizen the theme of my work is revolving around ideas that reflect our relations to urban life. With the multi-layered surfaces of real and imaginary maps I’m striving to grasp moments of finding our place both physically and mentally. As experimentation and research has been primary tools for developing ideas, labyrinth like maps with many dead-end streets has been a visual metaphor of my journey to find my own identity.
Do you have any advice for aspiring textile artists?
Make and experiment all the time – even without a certain goal. Ideas sometimes develop through the making.
What is your career highlight to date?
I cannot name any special one, the procedure of making, or when a finished work appears are all highlights.
Is there anything you would like to add?
I am a member of the Quilt Art international group (www.quiltart.eu) and we are going to launch a new exhibition this June in the Menier Gallery in London. Also I am member in of the 62Group (http://www.62group.org.uk/ ) the current exhibition of which named Ctrl/Shift is exhibited in The National Centre for Craft and Design in Lincolnshire. My next solo show will be in Iceland in May, than at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham in August, and for the coming years Newcastle Australia and Visions Art Museum in the USA are planned. I also have books about my work, the one from 2010 is about my mixed media quilts, the later one Urban Textures includes recent dimensional, installation and wall pieces.
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