Rena Detrixhe

American artist Rena Detrixhe, uses traditional methods to transform materials she finds in nature into evocative pieces that echo the ephemeral spirit of particular places.
Seed seems to be one of Detrixhe’s favourite materials. It makes sense, considering the seed’s monumental place in the cycle of life, the history of humanity, and the future of food. The piece called Heirloom, features thousands of seeds stitched into sheer textiles, forming a ghostly layer of living matter. Another piece, titled Seed Pod Rag Rug, is made from the foraged fruits of the American sweet-gum tree. The prickly seeds were gathered and stitched together to create a rough rug that evokes domesticity and wildness at the same time.

Detrixhe is a hunter and gatherer of materials, thus many works begin with objects or elements she collects such as seeds, petals, shells, and berries.
Employing meditative techniques like embroidery and crocheting, she merges these repetitive actions with natural objects to create a “bond between place and person.”
She explains her childhood awe of nature:
“I was taught to view and appreciate nature as if it were fine art. Spider webs, tree roots, veins of leaves, and cloud formations were works of art to be revered and contemplated. As a child, I spent most of my time outdoors exploring the world around me. This sensibility of finding awe and wonder in my surroundings has remained with me and continues to influence my work.”

Excerpted from Treehugger.com

Previously profiled artists in the news:

Theo Jansen is presenting his Strandbeests through March 21 at the EspacioFundación Telefónica in Central Lima, Peru

Tomas Saraceno has a show ‘Stillness in Motion-Cloud Cities’ till May 21st at SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA

‘Andrew Wyeth at 100’. Centennial exhibition at the Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine from April 15th-December 31st 2017

Steven Siegel creates art for the Suncheon Bay International Eco-Environmental Art Festival, South Korea

Giuseppe Penone has a show ‘Equilavence’ at the Gagosian Gallery in Rome, till April 15

Giuseppe Penone also has a show at the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, in Rome till July 16th, 2017

Edward Burtynsky’s ‘Salt Pans’ show is at the
Sundaram Tagore gallery in Singapore till March 29th

Christiane Lohr has a show at the Taguchi Fine Art, Tokyo February 25th-April 1st.