Hannalie Taute is a mixed media artist from the Klein Karoo, South Africa. Her latest show “Cross My Heart” runs from 10 February – 30 March 2015 at Erdmann Contemporary in Cape Town.
“Taute’s work is in a constant state of evolution, which in itself mirrors many of the ideas behind her art. One central theme or unifying characteristic is the repeated exploration of identity.
“She explores this concept by means in which people often have many, and sometimes conflicting, identities to which they answer to. This is perhaps most striking in her upcoming show Cross My Heart, her 6th solo exhibition, where Taute again returns to the medium of recycled inner tires with embroidered thread.
“The coarseness of the rubber is counteracted by the delicacy of the thread, but this is subverted, as often the stitching and composition of the rubber tires are delicate and the thread seems almost rough in its arrangement. Taute manages to make the medium of the piece interact with the subject matter in a way that forces the viewer to deeply engage and question with the art-works.”
I’m a sucker for stitching on interesting surfaces and so it’s no surprise that Hannalie’s work really excites me. I asked her a bit more about the process and Hannalie explained that although she’s only recently started using embroidery in her work, she’s getting into it.
“What I can say is that I enjoy the process of getting the rubber in such a state that I can start embroider on it, basically using one type of stitch, in order to practice ‘painting’ with the thread. I started to explore size in the work, and find different challenges to do the actual act of embroidery on that size.”
I love the hi contrast stitching and the punk aesthetic that arises from stitching on a fetishistic surface like rubber. There’s a rawness to the work and a brutality that is quite arresting. With strong characterisation and a dark sense of humour, it’s a great exhibition and I’m just sorry that I can’t make it to South Africa to see it.
Visit Hannalie’s website to find out more about her remarkable work.