Magali Rizzo | Mr X Stitch

Magali Rizzo is an embroidery artist from Paris, France. "My approach to art has always been tied among other things to the work of textile, and to the memories it carries around. Essentially narrative, my work feeds from textile mythologies, while questioning the cross-over between individual memory and collective experience. "Clothes, linen, are like a second skin to man. Life always begins with swaddling cloths and ends with shrouds. Through textile manipulation, I invest rituals and social codes linked to materials, and appreciate the symbolic energy of a relic that is given to second hand clothes. The timeless act of sewing is a way, symbolically, to make amends and fix things up. "I began to use embroidery as a form of drawing in 2006. I draw and tell stories in a realistic style. I choose drawings that already exist to give them a new interpretation. Embroidering on fabric the trace of ball-pen on paper is a way to reread and retell stories." In her terrific Future Heirlooms column, Joetta conducted thorough interview with Magali that engages you in her process, so it's definitely worth having a look at that. I've enjoyed Magali's work for a long time now; her ability to create depth with the simplest of stitches, combined with a thoughtful application of negative space really pushes my buttons. The pieces are elegantly simple, yet packed with emotion and vitality. Find out more about Magali at her blog. ----- The Cutting & Stitching Edge is brought to you in association with PUSH: Stitchery, the must-have embroidered art book by Mr X Stitch !