Visible Mending By Karen Goetzinger is an art exhibit at Streve design in the Loft Gallery From May 2 – June 20, 2022 64 ore St. E., Perth Ontario
Finding beauty in imperfection is a supposition quickly gaining momentum. It manifests itself in a renewed interest in kintsugi, the Japanese ancient art of repairing broken ceramic and porcelain objects with gold, the densely layered and stitched patchwork called boro, and the desire to mend contemporary clothing rather than throwing it away and buying new. All are methods of visible mending, with simple tools, that intentionally highlight imperfections.
We too bear signs of visible mending. It is often the simple, seemingly inconsequential things of life that can become a gradual healing balm: the first day of spring that gives hope for the future, the recognition of the swaying adaptability of the willow, the random words or acts of kindness from a stranger. The mending can be slow, yet with
increasing visible restoration to the attentive eye, resolute resilience can be found in
what may at first seem insignificant.
We too bear signs of visible mending. It is often the simple, seemingly inconsequential things of life that can become a gradual healing balm: the first day of spring that gives hope for the future, the recognition of the swaying adaptability of the willow, the random words or acts of kindness from a stranger. The mending can be slow, yet with
increasing visible restoration to the attentive eye, resolute resilience can be found in
what may at first seem insignificant.
This collection of emotive large scale paintings includes some un-stretched pieces,
hanging in the manner of weavings or tapestries. Several of the paintings consist of
canvases that have been pieced together, with hand stitching, from smaller pieces of
canvas, thereby creating a symbolic correlation to the mending of textiles. They
reinforce the proposition of visible mending and further support the idea of the beauty
found in “imperfection.”