Week | Hand embroidery on soviet towels by Daria Neretina
On the genetic level we contain the memory of everything that we perceive unconscientiously as familiar and native not processing these rationally. The drawing on the towels from the 2000s refers precisely to such images: it is not the best piece of design, it is not a piece of worship, but something that is instantly understood by cultures’ natives.
These towels were still unpacked when the artist acquired them a decade after they were produced. In the meanwhile, no one has ever used them. This is a perfect representation of the values of the consumer society. Daria Neretina wanted to make up for the time of the “obscurity” of these things, focusing her interest on identifying the “found” drawings.
Historically embroidery is a female practice. At it’s core it’s very meditative and requires profound concentration. One can call embroidery as a practice an “honest” art, since nothing can be accelerated or disguised here. Hence, the very essence of the “week” series demonstrates the isolation of homework and leisure: from Monday to Friday, from Saturday to Monday, every day.
