DUTCH ARTIST REFLECTS ON THE PAST IN NEWCASTLE EXHIBITION.

A new exhibition, opening at Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles Gallery next month, explores the concept of memory in art.

Dutch artist Els van Baarle’s exhibition, Reflections of the Past, is made up of work all based on memories. Memory is a fluid construct to the artist, who draws on our shared historical memories, for example the doomed ancient city of Pompei as well as personal memories such as recent visits to Japan and China.

Memories, like history, can be highly contested. As English writer Virginia Woolf noted “the past is beautiful because one never realises an emotion at the time”. Woolf believed that emotion expands later, meaning we don’t have complete emotions about the present, only about the past.

Els van Baarle, a textile artist and teacher from the Netherlands, explores her memories as she creates, often traversing a long journey from memory to finished piece.

“My starting point is always white fabric or paper,” she explains, “but the materials will go through many steps before reaching their final form.”

Els draws her inspiration from ancient history, with her art reflecting on the traces of the past that remain in the modern world.

“Time creates natural wear and tear on objects. I love the slow process of using wax and dye many times, resulting in a wonderful cloth with a wealth of colour and depth.”