Charette Van Eekelen

Charrette van Eekelen makes textiles derived from influential art from her childhood nodding to it now. Her approach is painterly and sculpturally. Not a seamstress in any technical sense: she explores with colour, line and texture, abstraction and materiality being essential. Using her painted fabrics, she stitches with freestyle embroidery. The stitches resemble pencil drawings, guiding fingers pointing to specific elements, or creating shadows and light. van Eekelen allows and encourages the texture to become part of her compositions. Through her experiments with scale and distortion, and by simplifying details, the artist is visibly driven by shape and texture. This collection captures nostalgic moments as seen in artist’s landscapes depicting transient or dimly lit scenes, such as final moments of sunsets and moonlit nights. Rendered with fine balance of shape, texture and a distinctive palette, thin layers of materials, paint and thread coexist. van Eekelen intertwines personal and universal memories and experiences, wanting the viewer to feel a familiarity with the materials and a fresh perspective. The stories of the materials and history of textiles, the stories we each relate to them intertwine with the imagery to create a layered narrative or senses of place.