Tag: Flinn Gallery; Paperworks

Art News: Paperworks: material as medium — Grethe Wittrock

Among the artists whose work will be included in Paperworks: material as medium, at the Flinn Gallery of the Greenwich Public Library (May 10th – June 21st) is Grethe Wittrock. Using ancient techniques to create contemporary work, Wittrock’s meditative process of repetition allows her to create simple, strong, poetic works of art. She handweaves, knots and braids thousands of strings of silk, gold and paper yarn, custom dyed in Japan. “[Textiles’] softness and flexibility and the way you can shape it, either as a fabric or a yarn, appealed to me,” Wittrock says. “Structures, texture and surfaces are essential to my work and textile can play these roles.” Wittrock’s work has been exhibited through-out the world in cities such as Copenhagen, London, Munich, Hong-Kong, Paris, Sao Paolo and Kyoto. She has won numerous international awards and in 2001 she received a prestigious three-year grant from the Danish Art Foundation. During the 1990s she produced a paper-based clothing line and large-scale commission works for companies and institutions.


Art News: Paperworks: material as medium — Eva Vargö


“We are living in the middle of the city pulse and are continuously overwhelmed by visual impressions and all kinds of information and on top of that we also very often have to make quick decisions. We all handle and cope with these issues in many different ways, but I do think we all need some quiet time – time for reflection to regain strength and energy in our daily lives,” says Swedish artist Eva Vargö, one of the 31 international artists whose work is included in Paperworks: material as medium, at the Flinn Gallery, Greenwich Library, which opens May 10th. Vargö deals with the life’s fast pace by weaving. “The working process is often repetitive and so it becomes meditative,” she says. “Mostly it gives me some peace of mind and my aim is to work at a slow pace. To be able to do one thing at a time without rush and to let go – to meet the unforeseen. I want to trust my intuition and my inner voice.” Vargö is a member of the International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA) and an Honorary Member of The Korean Paper Artists Association. Vargö’s husband was the Swedish Ambassador to Korea until last September and so she has spent considerable time in that country. Vargö’s work was included in last fall’s Swedish Contemporary Craft Art, at the Korean Foundation Cultural Center in Seoul, Korea. Her sophisticated weavings in Paperworks: material as medium incorporate old Korean book paper and ink-dyed paper string. The exhibition runs through June 21st. The opening reception is May 10th from 6 to 8 p.m.; there is a Curator’s Walkthrough on May 12th at 2 p.m. For more information contact the Flinn Gallery at (203) 622-7947.