Olga de Amaral

Olga de Amaral - Pozo Azul 11/13, 2012

"I discovered the colour, texture, structure of the world of fabric. In a context so rich in possibilities, I learned how to approach that world in a contemporary fashion." - Olga de Amaral

I first encountered the wonderful weavings of Olga de Amaral two years ago (here) at the Lisson Gallery. Her works (especially the gold pieces) blew my mind. The warp and weft seemed to come alive and appeared to be in constant motion as you observed their surfaces, such is de Amaral's skill at manipulating thread. I was surprised that I hadn't encountered her work previously, but textiles/fibre art, and the women creating it, having been previously overlooked in the artistic canon seem to be gaining increasing recognition and parity in the art world. A first visit to Paris's Fondation Cartier then, currently hosting de Amaral's first major retrospective in Europe was a must on my trip to the City of Light last autumn. I was not disappointed. Over the two floors of exhibition space of the Fondation Cartier, de Amaral displayed why she is just as important a presence in the development of fibre art as Magdalena Abakanowicz (here), and Sheila Hicks (here). Working since the 1960s de Amaral has changed the way in which people think about textiles with her innovative experiments with materials such as linen, horsehair, gesso, gold leaf and palladium, and techniques with which she weaves, braids knots and interweaves to create pieces on a monumental scale which you can evidence in the pictures taken below. De Amaral takes from the traditions of her native Colombian heritage as well as Modernist principals in Western art and design learnt at the Cranbrook Academy in the US. I was really impressed with the architecture of the Fondation Cartier. The ground floor is surrounded by lush, green gardens and has walls constructed of vast sheets of glass which flood the space with natural light and appears to allow the outside in. You feel like you are out in a garden despite being separated from the outside by glass. This sensation is enhanced by the addition of large rocks dotted around the interior exhibition space. The rich, autumnal colours and textures of many of de Amaral's weavings added to the effect of bringing the outside indoors. I started my journey through the exhibition in the section full of de Amaral's Brumas. These Brumas are right-angled triangular hangings consisting of thousands of cotton threads which have been coated with gesso and geometric patterns in acrylic paint. They are meant to metaphorically represent water and air and did seem like cascading waterfalls or a fine mist of rain falling when experienced from underneath. I encountered some of these at de Amaral's London exhibition but I enjoyed the sense of space they were afforded in the bigger galleries here. I then made my way downstairs to the darkened, lower gallery spaces and was stunned by the way de Amaral's weavings were spot-lit to enhance the textural surface qualities. These were masterful displays of the weavers art and the intricacies and complexities of what can be achieved on a loom, with not just thread but unconventional materials such as plastic. Certain pieces were on a par with what was achieved by Anni Albers and the other ladies of the Bauhaus school. My favourites though were those composed in gold. The way they were woven left an uneven warped surface which only enhanced the patterns woven into them by de Amaral. The lustres and play of light experienced were so dazzlingly beautiful as you can see from the images below. The special grouping of Estelas in a separate gallery space was the last display visitors saw before returning to the upper galleries and they were a truly spectacular grouping. They are gilded stelae, large megalithic totems reminiscent of monumental funerary and votive sculptures found at Pre-Columbian archaeological sites. Olga de Amaral describes them thus: "A stone harbours the secret of the universe. Together or individually, the stones provide an answer. With their imposing size and their dignified presence, they are the links connecting earth to heaven, flesh to spirit. Captive in the silence of the stone, there is an answer." This grouping of weavings really moved me, it was such a powerful experience to behold them. After a while I moved back upstairs to see the final galleries on the ground floor which contained de Amaral's experimental woven installations executed on a huge, immersive scale. Again what impressed was the innovation and sheer diversity of weaving techniques created to produce such varied outcomes. De Amaral is a true master of her craft and deserves much more recognition as an artist. Hopefully this first major European retrospective will be instrumental in raising her profile even further.

Olga de Amaral

until 16th March 2025

Fondation Cartier

261 Boulevard Raspail

75014 Paris