CLOTH AND MEMORY

Mamoushka

31h x11w x4d

Mixed media

Momoushka tricked me. I had found a beautiful but chipped piece of wood in the clearance section of a discount store. I embellished its surface with richly textured “ingredients.” I worked under the delusion that I was an Italian Renaissance craftsman. Only when a Scottish friend remarked that she saw a “fishwife” with a scarf, did I recognize my Ukrainian / Lithuanian jewish matriarchs. A “babushka” generally refers to an elderly grandmother or head scarf that ties under the chin. It can also be a term of endearment for bundled up babies. This piece haunts me because I unknowingly mined my subconscious and materialized a personal archetype.

Detail. Click to enlarge.