By the time of graduation in 1976 I had already developed a style of my own: textile-relief, which may have come from my ceramics background. My textile reliefs are based on Gobelin techniques, being woven on a hand-loom, but using harsher, more ragged materials. I weave in different elements, which will emboss the surface. I often used cardboard strips, and later, for the root motifs, I began to weave in bunches of hemp. Another technique is to use two layers of textiles, in which the top layer tears open to allow the embossed bottom layer to reveal. My latest creations are completely 3-dimensional, still woven on the loom.
These techniques were necessary to deliver my message more effectively. The dynamism of waves, the creased surface of the rocks, the rampant cataclysms and eruptions would be impossible to grasp with the traditional techniques of Gobelin. Its refined, even meticulous nature strangles all dynamism and stops the free flow of emotion and passion.
My initial works celebrate life and nature, with a cavalcade of colours and movement. Following this optimistic period, I began to shift toward more profound motifs. Time, perpetual motion, creation, life and death have become my core symbols, often represented by trees and roots. My textiles are now erupting with dynamism, pushing the genre of relief to the limit. The top layers are often torn apart to give way to the roots and stalks bursting to the surface - or to offer an insight into the deepness within.
The material I mostly use is raw hemp, which I spool, whiten or colour by myself. I sometimes use silk, metal and gold fibres, but hemp is my clear favourite. It is a marvellous material, capable of expressing tenderness and strength, being both subtle and rustic.
I do not only prepare my materials, but create the entire work of art myself. This enables me to continuously improve, or, if necessary, alter my technique. When expressing my thoughts, I want to be completely in charge. I think it is only fair. It should be me who struggles through the process of shaping my message into a piece of textile, a form that can act as a carrier to that message, and make people think. That is the essence of my art.
Anna Kubinyi
