The intriguing art of stitched works by Lebanese-Italian artist Cristiana de Marchi is on display at Maraya Art Centre until the 4th of August, 2022. The exhibition is called “Finer: A thread … in the swell of wandering words”.
Cristiana de Marchi has used different stitches on various surfaces with an aim to shine a spotlight on socially relevant topics such as geographical borders, national identities and human-made confinements. Yarns of different colours are used using various techniques and applied onto two- and three-dimensional surfaces.
Her artworks look quite contemporary, even sometimes minimalistic and often monochrome.
The title of the exhibition, “Finer: A thread … in the swell of wandering words”, comes from a poem by German-Romanian Paul Celan. The poem was written in 1955 as a response to experiencing the atrocities of World War II. Human ability to rise from fall through the power of language is addressed in the poem. The exhibition uses the poem as a starting point to convey such topics as creation and destruction and their interplay with each other.
This exhibition introduces de Marchi’s practice through her interactive and playful game-oriented works, complemented by serial compositions of stitched surfaces and knitted pieces addressing various subjects on identity and belonging. A large, nearly 6,50 m long creation, ‘Monument to the Fallen Wall’ constitutes the focal point of the exhibition. Lastly, the show also adds an outlook on de Marchi’s multi-media practice, including the elements of light, brightness and a sense of hopefulness in her work, that echoes Celan’s words, thus building the exhibition as a poem.
Maraya Art Centre is a non-profit art space and cultural platform at Al Qasba, Sharjah. It is an initiative by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, and it aims at promoting young artists from both the Arab region and around the world.
Maraya Art Centre supports artists with the help of organising various exhibitions, commissions, residencies and research opportunities. There is a growing resource library and the Maraya Video Archive in the Maraya Art Centre.
Visitors are also welcome to visit the Maraya Art Park at Sharjah’s Al Majaz Waterfront and the outdoor street art initiative Jedariya located around the Emirate of Sharjah.
DATE: Monday 07 Mar, 2022 – Thursday 04 Aug, 2022
TIME: 10:00 a.m. – 07:00 p.m.
VENUE: Block E, 3rd Floor, Maraya Art Centre, Al Qasba, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
You may be also interested in visiting the exhibition “Memory Sews Together Events that Hadn’t Previously Met” at the Sharjah Art Museum.
